Taking Back Control
by jldp3
Summary: In this story, New Hampshire happened and it begins a few days after her mother's wedding to Luke, and Rory finds out she is pregnant. My story will deal with the struggles they all face and how Lorelai, Rory, and Logan will have their lives change and now are able to find happiness as they Take Back Control of their lives.
1. Chapter 1

**Taking Back Control**

 **A Gilmore Girls AU Fanfiction**

 **By LindaProsser1**

 **A/N** **I never thought that I would write one story let alone three; but once I started I found out Gilmore Girls was a catalyst for many different endings.**

 **I was disappointed with the ending of the Gilmore Girls Season 8… I felt there was more to their story. So I began to write.** **A** **s I wrote my other two stories** **Out of the Ashes** **and** **Choices, Challenges and Changes ,** **another story came to me. So I began to write this one. This is unusual for me to have two stories in progress at the same time, but this story wanted to be written. My two Betas have been reading this story closely and encouraged me to begin publishing it so here I am.**

 **As I re-watched the Gilmore Girls series, multiple times, I recognized that the main characters all seem to have issues with their lives spiraling out of control. I began to think about Lorelai. Why did she have difficulty with men and even have trouble committing to Christopher and Luke? She became pregnant at 16 but was there more going on at home and in her life? She chased after Luke for so many years, then why did it take her so long to commit to Luke? Why did they wait so long when throughout the story there was that strong attraction.**

 **Then there is Christopher, for the first few seasons he was a lost thirty-something. Lorelai had this issue with him that seemed to sway Rory's opinion of him. Why did his father react so strongly even sixteen years after the birth of Rory? The story had him struggling with his life, his responsibilities and his love for Lorelai. Why couldn't Christopher and Lorelai make their marriage work?**

 **Then there is Rory and Logan. Both characters struggling with their place in their family, their friends, wanting to please everyone yet they still were immature.**

 **The character Rory seem to grow stronger by the end of season 7 but when she was brought back in season 8 she was a very confused insecure 33-year-old, not knowing what she wanted and what to do. She was lost, spiraling out of control, and Logan appeared to be successful, but still under the control of his father. He still was not able to admit his true feelings for her. He wanted her and his position in HPG, yet still afraid of disappointing his father.**

 **I began to think more about the Huntzberger family, we find out in the story that Mitchum is the second oldest son in a family of four, but we know little about them. Why was Mitchum so controlling, was he controlled by his father, and Shira, who was she? What was this strange relationship she had with her father in law and children? Why does the grandfather dislike Rory Gilmore so much?**

 **I brought back many of the characters from the series, I felt that Dean, Tristan, and Jess needed to be in this story along with our three favorite men children, Finn, Colin, and Robert. You will find that Christopher, Gigi, Francine Hayden, will all play a big part in Rory's life. Of course, I could not write a story without having a little bit of Emily, Paris, Sookie, and Lane. I also added some new characters. In this story I have introduced Logan's uncle and a business partner to Christopher along with some minor characters. These characters will help shape my story.**

 **In this story New Hampshire happened and it begins a few days after her mother's wedding to Luke, and Rory finds out she is pregnant. My story will deal with the struggles they all face and how Lorelai, Rory and Logan will have their lives change and now are able to find happiness as they** **Take Back Control** **of their lives.**

 **I hope you like this story.**

 **LindaProsser1**


	2. Chapter 1 Emergency

**Chapter 1 Emergency**

"Zac, call 911, something is wrong with Rory," Lane screamed at Zac as she rushed out the door and saw Rory kneeling on the ground holding her stomach.

"This is 911, how can I help you."

"Yes please send an ambulance to 32 Elm Street. My friend is on the ground doubled over."

Zac came running back to Lane after he ended the call and said, "They will be here shortly. Rory don't worry everything will be okay."

"Rory dear, what happened? Zac did you call the ambulance?" Babette go get blankets for her," said Miss Patty,

They could hear the siren's coming. Rory grabbed Lane's hand.

"I should have never gone to New Hampshire. They always leave. Please don't leave me?" she whispered to Lane and closed her eyes as another pain ripped through her abdomen.

Lane looked at her strangely. What was she talking about? "Rory, Rory. Wake up."

The ambulance pulled up and two EMT's came running out. The Head EMT was familiar with Stars Hollow. As he and his young partner came running with the gurney and bag, he saw the beautiful young woman on the ground with her eyes closed. He remembered watching that same face. It looked like she was sleeping. Saying a quick prayer in his head, "Please God, let her be alright," he quickly sprang into action.

"Mac, get the gurney overhear. Everyone please step back. Let us through."

"Lane, what happened?" he asked the young woman sitting on the ground next to her.

"Dean, Dean?" Lane looked up at him, her old classmate and Rory's ex-boyfriend from high school. "I didn't know you were an EMT."

"Yes, can you tell me what happened."

"I heard her scream and Miss Patty and I came running out of my house. Rory was doubled over in pain and couldn't move."

He took her pulse and quickly examined her. She had fainted, her blood pressure was high and her pulse was very fast. They quickly put her on the gurney while Rory held her abdomen and moaned. As he was lifting her up he noticed that her sweatpants were bloody. He wondered where she was bleeding. He decided that the faster they get her to the ER, the sooner they could evaluate her.

"Lane, did Rory have any ID on her?"

Lane looked around and found Rory's purse on the ground beside her. She must have dropped it. She handed it to Dean then he and Mac went to put her in the ambulance.

"I'm going with you," Lane said and quickly climbed in the back of the ambulance.

Mac looked at Dean, he nodded remembering how close the two women were.

Kirk and Lulu were in Luke's diner with Taylor having breakfast when the ambulance came. Babette and Morey went outside leaving their breakfast. Jess looked at Taylor and with a snide remark he said, "Aren't you and Kirk going to check it out too?"

"No, Babette will tell us all about it when she comes in I am sure. I told everyone last month we needed our own, Medical Center. We could hire local people, LPN's and nurses' aides to treat people. We could save so much money."

"Yes and I would start up my own service to transport them, I could put the seats down in the back of my Subaru to transport the victims and Lulu could dispense the aspirin."

Jess just shook his head and took the next three plates of food and brought it over to them.

Looking out the window he said, "Since when is Forester and EMT? I thought he was married and lived here in Stars Hollow."

"Oh that is old news, Jess. They divorced less than a year after they were married. You didn't know that he and Rory had an affair?" Lulu told him.

"Yes, he moved away and went to college and recently returned to Hartford. I guess he works for the city now, " Taylor added.

"Huh," Jess walked back to the cash register and took the money from the customer that was standing there.

The ambulance took off and suddenly Zac came running in.

"Jess you have to come with me. Rory was taken in the ambulance. Call Lorelai, call Luke."

Jess grabbed his phone and ran out the door, "Ceaser you are in charge. I will call you as soon as I know what's going on."

Lane sat in the back of the ambulance with Mac and Rory. Dean was driving the ambulance very fast back to Hartford General. Rory was still unconscious and moaning.

"Can you give her anything for the pain?" Lane asked.

"We are afraid to, we don't know if she is allergic to anything. They can evaluate her at Hartford."

Lane held onto Rory's hand and kept telling her, "Rory I am here, I am not going to leave you."

 _ **There was a fog around Rory and she was doing the tango with Logan. They had arrived earlier, wearing Steampunk outfits and gorilla masks. Logan was always doing something over the top to get her attention. He told her he missed her. They drank, kissed and then they took her to a beautiful Inn in New Hampshire. He offered her own room, but she told him she wanted to stay with him. She felt his kisses on her neck, the gentle pressure on her breast as he squeezed it. He licked his way down to her naval and using his hands he stroked her, pulling her lips apart and caressing her. She felt the wetness between her legs, then pain…."**_

She screamed and opened her eyes looking around her. She couldn't move her hands. There were straps on her, where was she. She saw Lane and then she heard doors opening and people scrambling around.

"Where am I? What's happened to me? Lane don't leave me."

They rushed her into the ER where the attending ER doctor and two nurses had them bring her to a room.

"Rory, we are at the hospital. Hi, I'm Dr. Whyles This is Julie and Erika. We are going to take care of you. Tell me where it hurts."

"My, my stomach. The cramps are so bad. Aggg"

"Okay are you allergic to anything?"

"Penicillin," she responded.

"Okay let's give her something for the pain and let's take a look."

Julie went to remove the blanket that was covering her when she noticed the blood.

"Doctor," she said. Dr. Whyles looked at her. He quickly went to the end of the bed and noticed the blood.

"Call and see who is here from OB," he told Julie. She went out to the desk and had OB paged.

Zac and Jess came running in and met Lane in the waiting room who was talking to Dean.

"Lane do you know what happened? How long has Rory been back in Stars Hollow?"

"Dean, she moved back in late spring early summer. She was living at home with Lorelai until she had enough money to move out."

"Wait, I thought she was traveling? Speaking of Lorelai where is she? Did someone call her?"

"She is on her honeymoon. She is somewhere between here and Fiji by now."

"Lorelai married?"

"Yes, three days ago, she and Luke were married."

"Well I'll be. I never thought that it would happen. I guess there is still hope after all," Dean said to Lane.

Lane looked at him with a questioning look on her face. She wasn't sure what he meant by that comment. Suddenly, his radio went off. "Listen Lane, I have another call. I will come by later and check on her."

Dean turned and saw Jess walking over to Lane with Zac. They glared at each other and then Dean nodded to Zac. Jess looked at Zac and said, "What's that all about? What's he doing here?"

"He was the EMT that brought Rory in, come on there's Lane at the soda machine. Let's find out what is going on."

The two men rushed over to Lane…..

Dr. Paris Gellar was on call as a fourth-year surgical resident today in **OB-GYN** at the Hartford General Hospital. She took the call and came rushing downstairs. She saw Julie and asked her what was going on. Julie told her that the patient was in ER 4 and she quickly walked in it. She froze when she saw Rory laying there pale and hooked up to an IV and being prepped for a transfusion.

"Dr. Whyles what is it?"

"I am not sure. The patient passed out again and she is bleeding. Her blood pressure is dropping. We were just getting ready to do an ultrasound."

Paris took over and prepared Rory for the ultrasound. As she moved the wand over her abdomen she noticed the blood in her abdomen.

"Quick, page Dr. Dugray, this woman is bleeding internally. It looks like she is having a miscarriage."

They rushed her up to O.R. When they reached O.R., Paris quickly called Cassandra Snyder, the nurse practitioner to prepare Rory for surgery. She met Dr. Tristan Dugray in the sterile area where they began to scrub in.

"What do we have in Surgical Room no. 1, Dr. Gellar?

"A thirty-two-year-old female who has passed out and has blood in her abdomen, could be a rupture appendix or a miscarriage."

"Okay, let's see what we have here."

"Tristan, wait."

"Paris, what's wrong?"

"It's Rory."

"Rory? Like in Rory Gilmore?"

"Yes."

Tristan put on his mask and bit his bottom lip. He walked into the operating room and looked at Rory. She looked so pale against the white sheet that was covering her. He could hear the beep beep of the machines and looked at Dr. Warren who was the anesthesiologist. Dr. Warren gave him a nod and he walked over. With Paris by his side and the three surgical nurses, including the nurse practitioner Miss Snyder, Tristan began the operation.

Two hours later the bleeding had stopped, and they removed the IUD that she was using which probably caused this pregnancy. Her fallopian tube did not burst, and he removed the cyst, she was lucky.

Tristan left the operating room and walked out to the waiting room where he saw three people there. He asked, "Are you here for Rory Gilmore?"

The Asian women walked over to him and said, "Yes we are, I am Lane Van Gerbig, my husband Zac and this is Jess Mariano."

"Hello, I am Dr. Dugray. She is stable. She lost a lot of blood and we had to give her two transfusions. She will be in recovery for an hour. I will have the nurse contact you when she is out of recovery and sent to a room. I want her to stay overnight for observation, maybe longer. Is her husband or mother around."

"She's not married, and her mother is halfway across the world on her honeymoon," Lane added.

"Does she have any family close by?"

"Her father lives here in Hartford. I think Rory has his number on her phone. I could call it," Lane said.

"Good because she will need to stay with someone for a while when she is released."

Jess didn't say anything, he was going to offer that she could stay with him, he could bring her back to her house and he could stay with her, but he remembered he had to leave tomorrow to get back to Philadelphia. He wouldn't be back until the following weekend. He had another meeting on his new book and he also was in charge the publishing of three books this week.

Tristan walked away, and Jess looked at Lane, "Why don't you call her father and I will stay here tonight with her. I have to leave tomorrow."

"Okay, Jess. Do you think we should call Lorelai or Luke?"

"Let's see what Rory wants to do when she wakes up. I wonder why he asked if her husband was here? Lane did she get secretly married?"

"No, I am sure she would have said something to me."

"Huh." Jess sat down and pulled out his phone. He scrolled until he found the document page he had been working on and began to work on the next page that he was writing in his latest novel..

They wheeled Rory to the recovery room and adjusted her medicine and the IV. She was still hooked up to the machines that was monitoring her heart, oxygen levels and blood pressure. The nurse checked the fluids and left her in the area with the green curtains.

" _ **Mom I'm pregnant?"**_

 _ **Her mother turned her head and looked at her. It was sunrise and she and Rory had been sitting on the steps at the gazebo in the middle of the town. Her mother and Luke said their vows in a private ceremony with only herself, Michel, Lane, and Reverend Skinner witnessing the marriage. Why did she have to ruin it.**_

" _ **Mom aren't you going to say something?"**_

 _ **"What do you want me to say? Who's the father? Is it Paul?"**_

" _ **No it's not Paul."**_

" _ **It wasn't supposed to be this way, Rory"**_

 _ **"Mom what am I supposed to do?"**_

 _ **"Rory, I can't tell you what to do, let's go I have a wedding today.."**_

 _ **Lorelai stood up and walked back to the house. Rory sat there and sighed. He's getting married. I can't tell him.**_

 _ **Suddenly in the fog she sees four figures, the tall one is dressed as a scarecrow, then there is a lion and then a tin man who is crying.**_

" _ **Rory why are you leaving us. You can stay. He gave you the key to his place in Maine," said the scarecrow.**_

" _ **I'm going to miss you most of all," she said to the scarecrow as she touched his face.**_

" _ **I'm going to miss all of you. But he has a plan that doesn't include me."**_

 _ **She turned and looked at Logan who was standing all alone. He looked sad. But why was he sad. He is getting everything he wanted, the keys to the HPG kingdom that was not her world and a beautiful wife to share it with.**_

She opened her eyes and heard beeping noises.

Someone was standing by her bed and said, "Hello, how are you feeling? Take a sip of water." A woman dressed in green handed her a cup with a straw and she sipped it.

"Where am I?" she asked hoarsely. Her throat was scratchy and sore.

"You're in the hospital. We will be taking you up to your room shortly and the doctors will come to talk to you."

Hospital how did she get here? The last thing she remembers was walking down Elm St. to go to Luke's for breakfast and having terrible pains and cramps in her stomach. Did she get food poisoning? Who brought her here?

She fell back to sleep and when she opened her eyes she was in a bright room. She looked down at her hand and there was still a needle in it and an IV attached. She heard the beeping sound and felt pressure on her arm. She noticed the blood pressure cuff inflate and a nurse standing by her bed checking it.

"Hi, Dr. Gellar and Dr. Dugray are on their way down. My name is Cassandra, let me know if you are in pain. I can give you something for it."

"Pain? What happened?"

"Here is Dr. Dugrey and Dr. Gellar now they can explain what happened."

The nurse walked out of the room and a very handsome tall blonde man with a five o'clock shadow dressed in surgical scrubs walked over to her and took her hand. Beside him was her best friend, Paris. Looking at Paris she saw disappointment in her eyes and immediately she felt the stinging of tears. She then looked at the handsome blue eyes looking down at her and she recognized them.

"Tristan?"

"Hi Rory. How are you feeling?"

"Embarrassed, sore. You're a doctor? Paris why didn't you tell me that Tristan was a doctor."

"Because I haven't spoken to you in six months. Rory what's going on? Do you know you almost died? How could you be so careless?"

Tristan turned to Paris and said, "Not now, Paris. Why don't you leave and let me talk to her."

"But.." 

Looking at her sternly he repeated, "Leave." Paris nodded and walked out the door and waited outside. She watched as Tristan took her hand and held it.

"Rory, don't listen to Paris."

"I almost died?"

"You could have but the EMT's got you here on time, and I was able to save you. And you will be able to have more children if you want in the future?"

"Children? What do you mean?"

"Rory, didn't you know that you were 7 weeks pregnant?"

"Seven weeks? I just took the test four days ago. I hadn't had a chance to make an appointment yet. I was using birth control; how could this happen? What happened to the baby?"

Tristan pulled up the chair and held her hand. "Listen, you had what we call an ectopic pregnancy. Your belly was full of blood. I was able to remove most of the blood from your abdomen, I was able to save your fallopian tube and remove the cyst that was between your uterus and the fallopian tube. But I also removed your IUD. That was why you had this type of pregnancy."

"But I was told it was safe, safer than the shot?"

"Rory we won't go into it right now. You need to rest. You just had major surgery. Now your friends who brought you hear are calling your father. Do you need them to call your mother?"

"No… don't call my mother. Why did they call my father?"

"Because you need a place to stay. You can't stay alone unless your boyfriend can take care of you."

"My boyfriend? No, no there is no boyfriend. Not anymore."

She turned her head away from him and looked out of the window and cried. She cried for the loss of their child, she cried from the relief of not being pregnant, then she cried harder because she felt guilty.

Tristan let go of her hands, sitting on the bed he pulled her up into his arms and held her. She wrapped her arms around him and felt his strong hard body against hers and cried. He held her and gently rubbed her back and made soothing noises. He gently stroked her hair and felt something stir inside him. He generally never let himself feel anything for a woman anymore except for sexual gratification; but holding her in his arms brought the memories back of their embrace on the piano stool when they were juniors in high school.

Rory slowly pulled herself away and looked at his face, those crystal blue eyes that held so much concern for her, and his lips. A memory came back to her, a kiss that she shared with him when they were in high school. She looked at him again and bit her bottom lip.

"I'm sorry. I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" he asked her. "Listen, I will be back to check on you. The nurse practitioner, that Paris and I share, will be back to remove the IV once your fluid levels are stable. You will be staying here for tonight maybe another, depending on how you are feeling and once you have been walking around."

He gently touched her forehead. It felt warm and he quickly took her temperature. She had a low-grade fever, 100, but to be on the safe side he ordered something to reduce her fever.

"Do you have a headache?"

"A little."

"Okay I will have Cassandra come back in with something for that. I will be back later. Here is the buzzer, ring it if you need it."

He walked out of the room and saw Cassandra at the nurse's station. He told her about the fever and headache, and Cassandra went right in to add an antibiotic to her IV. He looked around for Paris and saw her talking to someone that looked familiar with dark eyes and dark hair.

He walked over to him and put out his hand to shake it.

"Hi, I am Tristan Dugray and you are?"

"Jess Mariano, a friend of Rory's."

"Boyfriend?"

"No, a close friend. How is she?"

"She will be fine. Paris, she has a slight fever now, so I had Cassandra give her something for it, but we need to monitor her carefully. Listen Jess, Lane mentioned she would call her father. Do you know if her father will be here shortly?"

"Lane contacted him, and he will be here soon."

"Good. Paris, I am going to have the nurses page me when he comes. I need to speak to him."

"Jess it was nice to meet you," he turned to leave.

"Paris what is that all about?" Jess asked with concern.

"I am not sure, but she is okay now. Jess do you know where she has been lately?"

"No, we keep in touch, but she's been pretty private. Haven't you two been talking ?"

"No, not in the last six months."

"Well I'm glad you were on call today."

He gently touched her elbow and Paris felt the spark she always felt when they were together. They hadn't seen each other in a year but she found herself very attracted to him. She smiled at Jess, and then she heard her name being paged.

"Listen I have to go. Here give me your phone. Here is my personal number. Call me if you have any questions or …"

She took his phone and quickly typed her personal information in there under contacts. She then called her phone and smiled at him.

"I have your number now, so I won't block it."

"Why would you block it?"

"If I don't recognize a number I block it."

He chuckled and gave her a smile, " I promise I will call you."

He squeezed her hand when she handed the phone back to him. She smiled back and quickly turned to go to the ER where she was being paged.

Jess turned and watched her walk away then he walked down the hall toward the wing where Rory's room was.


	3. Chapter 2 Looking for Someone?

**Chapter 2** **Looking for Someone ?**

Finn was lounging in Robert's apartment on 64th St. in Manhattan. They were waiting for Colin to come over before they hit the clubs in the city.

"Have you heard from mother at all since New Hampshire?" Robert asked Finn as he handed him a glass of scotch.

"No, nothing. When I call her cell phone it goes right to her voicemail. Didn't Logan say something about poor cell reception there?"

"I am not sure. He never confided in me about her. So is he really going to marry that plastic French Barbie doll? I don't like her."

"Hmpf, bloody hell she is such a witch."

"I have a better name for her"

"For who?" Colin said as he walked into Robert's apartment without knocking.

All three men had keys to one another's apartments and never thought anything of it when they walked in. They had done that when they lived together at Yale and it didn't stop now that all three of them were successful businessmen and listed as the most eligible bachelors on page six. They dated models, actresses, and royalty but they never found anyone they wanted to stay with. Robert almost got married but at the last minute decided against it. He was not only a wealthy financial analyst on wall street but did photography in his spare time photographing models, and actors, having studios in both Manhattan and in California.

Colin was a lawyer and part of his father's successful Law Firm now called McCrae and Son which recently merged with Hayden and Sons. Seeing his father married to a plethora of women he decided to stay free as a bachelor and never committing to anyone.

Finn was traveling the world, as the face of his father's multibillion-dollar enterprise. Finn had been a model in his high school years and kept his athletic physique, keeping a tight regiment of working out, at the pool and the gym and watching his diet. His drinking had slowed down once leaving Yale, but whenever he was with Colin, Logan, and Robert the drinking would start up again. Recently because of his rugged good looks, he was an actor in a prime-time television series. He didn't have to do it, but he enjoyed playing the character parts on a variety of television shows. He recently completed a series called the Roadies and enjoyed it.

"Can you tell me again why Rory left him?" Robert said

"Because she has more self-respect than being his mistress," Colin replied sitting down on the chair across from Finn. Robert handed him a glass of scotch too.

"So have you heard from Mother at all?"

"No, it's like she disappeared. He really blew it this time. I thought when he found her in Hamburg that they would get together. But his brilliant idea of Vegas.. that was so wrong on so many levels."

"His brilliant idea of not waiting, when she told him not yet, after he proposed to her, was so wrong," Robert added.

"If I had a woman like Rory Gilmore, who was in love with me, I would never have cheated on her in Vegas, nor would I take her for granted and offer her my place in Maine, so she could sit and wait for me. She is not like the other women we know and date," Colin added.

The three men finished their drinks then they took off to the Norwood Club in the Chelsea area.

Christopher was in Boston at a meeting when his secretary interrupted him. He excused himself and walked out to his secretary's desk where he took the call.

"Hello this is Christopher Hayden," he said into the receiver of the phone."

"Hello Mr. Hayden. I don't know if you remember me, but I am Rory's best friend Lane Van Gerber."

"Yes I remember you, Lane. How are you?"

"I'm fine but I am calling about Rory. Rory is in the hospital at Hartford General. She collapsed in front of my house and she is in the operating room right now. I don't want to call Lorelai because she is on her honeymoon in Fiji. I didn't know who else to call."

"No Lane, I will be right there. I am in Boston, but I will get the next plane or helicopter out. I will be there as soon as I can. Lane what is your number." Christopher grabbed a piece of paper off his secretary's desk and wrote her cell number down.

"I will call you as soon as I leave," he added and then hung up.

Turning to Kathleen, his private secretary, he said, "I need for you to call the airport and get my jet ready right away. I have to fly to Hartford."

"Right away Mr. Hayden," she told him.

Christopher strode back in the conference room and said, "Gentlemen, I hate to end this meeting so abruptly, but I have a family emergency and I need to fly immediately to Hartford."

Mitchum Huntzberger happen to be attending this meeting. "Christopher is it your mother?" he asked him.

"No, it's my daughter. I am sorry, I need to leave now."

"Oh I am sorry. Please let me know if there is anything I can do."

"Thank you Mitchum."

Christopher knew that Logan was Mitchum's son but never mentioned to him about his oldest daughter's relationship with Logan after she turned down his proposal. He had some dealings with the Huntzbergers, attended some parties together socially, due to Mitchum's constant travels, however, they never spoke about families. Mitchum was not aware of Christopher having more than one child. He thought he just had the one daughter Gigi who was now thirteen years old.

The men left the meeting and Christopher quickly went into his private office to make a few calls. He had Kathleen place a call to his mother. When his light on his phone lit up he lifted the phone off the receiver,

"Mom, hi, listen there has been a change of plans,"

"What's wrong dear? Did the meeting go as planned are you purchasing those publishing companies?"

"It's Rory."

"What's wrong with Rory?"

"She is in the hospital. I just got a call from her friend Lane. She was rushed to the hospital this morning. She collapsed in the street in front of her friend's house. She needed an emergency operation. I am flying into Hartford and I will have the car pick me up and take me directly to the hospital."

"Dear, do you want me to meet you there? Is Lorelai with her?"

"No, Lorelai is on her honeymoon with Luke. They are in Fiji or on their way to Fiji. You stay home with Gigi and as soon as I know what's going on I will call you."

"Alright dear. But call me as soon as you know what's going on. Christopher please send her my love."

"I will mom, thanks."

He hung up the office phone and gathered his briefcase, and coat. He quickly left the office to the waiting car that would quickly take him to the private hanger where the company jet was standing by.

 **4 pm at the hospital**

Rory was drifting in and out of sleep. She had been in her room for an hour now, and Jess sat quietly in a chair watching the monitor and her sleep. She would stir every once and a while and say, "this wasn't supposed to happen. I said goodbye."

Jess heard a knock at the door and turned and saw Dean standing there. He was still in his EMT uniform. With his hands in his pocket he walked in.

"How is she?"

"Better. They stopped the bleeding and they are keeping her overnight for observation."

Rory mumbled in her sleep, "This is goodbye."

There were tears coming from her eyes and Dean and Jess didn't want to wake her.

"Do you know if she is in a lot of pain?"

"I am not sure. She has a low-grade fever and they gave her something for it. They are not sure if she has some sort of infection too."

"Are you and Rory…"

Jess didn't let him finish, "No Dean, we are just close friends. She was dating someone from Yale, but they broke up when she graduated. I am not sure who she is dating now. I remember my Uncle and Lorelai mentioning a Peter, or Patrick or Paul, but we never talked about those things."

"Oh, when I saw you here I thought you two were," Dean said.

"Nope. How about you? Still married?"

"No, that ended a few months after it started. I never should have married her. I wasn't in love with Lindsay. I was always in love with Rory." He sat down on a chair on the other side of her bed.

"Dating anyone in particular now?" Jess asked to be friendly.

"No not really. Occasional dates nothing serious. You?"

"Same here, she's a hard one to get over. Once you kiss a Gilmore you don't want anyone else."

Jess looked at her and shook his head.

"Yeah, I know. If I could do it all again, I would have gone to college first like she suggested."

"Yeah, me too."

"So what are you doing now, Jess. Do you live around here?"

'No I live in Philly. I came up to help Luke while he and Lorelai are on their honeymoon. I head back tomorrow, but I will be back later in the week. You?"

"I live here in West Hartford. I am an EMT and firefighter. I am part owner of the Pigs Eye Pub. We make our own craft beer. You should stop by sometime."

"I just might do that."

Dean's radio went off and he checked it. "Listen I have to go. I just dropped off someone down in ER, so I thought I would come and check to see how she is. I will be back when I am off my shift tonight."

"Good to know," Jess replied.

Dean left and took the green elevator to the ER Department. Coming up the Blue elevator was Christopher. He quickly entered her room.

Jess stood up and went over to Chris.

"How's she doing?" Chris asked him as he shook his hand.

"The doctor wants to speak to you. Let me go out to the nurse's station and let them know that you are here."

Jess walked over to the nurse's station and happened to see Tristan get off the elevator.

"Dr. Dugray, hey. I was just coming to let the nurses know that Rory's father is here." 

"Oh good, thank you, Jess. Jess do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"No go ahead."

"Are you the author J. Mariano from the Subsect?"

Jess gave him his crooked smile. "Yes, I am."

"I liked your book. How do you know Rory?"

"From high school," Jess responded.

"But you didn't go to Chilton."

"Nope, I started in the city then moved to Stars Hollow when I was a sophomore. Dropped out and ended up in California and got my GED."

They walked back into Rory's room. Christopher was sitting in the chair that Jess had left, holding on to his daughter's hand. She opened her eyes and saw him there and smiled.

"Hey Kiddo, how are you feeling?"

"Tired, sore, thirsty."

Christopher looked up and saw the young doctor and smiled.

"Hello, I am Dr. Dugray, I operated on your daughter," Tristan introduced himself to Christopher.

"Nice to meet you. Can she have something to drink? She said she was thirsty," Chris asked him.

"Sure."

Tristan walked over to the side table and checked to make sure the pitcher had ice water in it. It did so he poured some in the cup with the straw. Placing his hand gently behind Rory's head he lifted it and put the straw in her mouth.

She looked up at him and smiled. Their eyes met again, and she felt something. She thought it was the medication she was on. She took some sips of the water and he lowered her head back to the pillow.

"Do I know you?" she asked him, her mind still cloudy from the anesthesia.

"Yes, Mary you do, " he whispered. He then turned to Jess.

"Jess, she can have some more sips of the water if she wants. I am going to be outside talking with Mr. Gilmore?"

"No, it's Hayden. Her mom and I were divorced a few years ago."

"Hayden? We have a wing in the hospital named after Straub Hayden, the Cardiology wing."

"Yes that's my father, Rory's grandfather."

They went out to a conference room on the surgical floors where the doctors could talk privately to the patient's family members. Tristan looked at him and thought he better talk to Paris, he never knew that Rory was a Hayden. Well it really didn't make any difference to him.

"Mr. Hayden, Rory had a laparoscopic operation today. She came in with her abdomen full of blood due to a cyst that ruptured that had been growing on her uterus and fallopian tube. I was able to successfully remove it, but she will need to stay with someone while she recovers."

"That's no problem. She can come to my house, I live here in Hartford, with Rory's younger sister and my mother. The house is big and there will be someone who can take care of her."

"Good I am glad, I have a feeling she will want to return home alone. I don't advise that. She just had major surgery and will find it difficult to move around. Plus her driving restriction will be for at least six weeks. If she returns to Stars Hollow she would be stranded there and that would not be a good situation."

"Will she be okay?"

"I would like to keep her here for a few days. She now has a fever and she is very weak."

"Fine, can I go back to see her?"

"Yes go ahead."

Christopher returned to the room and Tristan walked over to the nurse's station. He looked at Cassandra and said, "Has Miss Gilmore's temperature gone down at all?"

"Just to 99. I am going back in to take her temperature now."

"No never mind, I will do it."

Tristan returned to the room and looked at Rory. She had her bed slightly inclined and she was listening to her father and Jess talk.

"Mare, are you okay?" Tristan asked concerned.

"I have a headache." Tristan picked up the thermometer and took her temperature again. It was now up to 101. He checked her pulse and noticed it was high. He rang the buzzer for the nurse and Cassandra immediately came in.

"Are you allergic to anything?" he asked her.

"Penicillin."

"Cassandra give her cephalexin and page Dr. Gellar. She might have an infection. We might have to take her back to the OR if her fever doesn't go down."

Cassandra entered with the medicine and Rory took it orally. They kept the IV fluids in her to make sure she didn't become dehydrated. Rory became sleepy and began to fall asleep again. Tristan looked at both Christopher and Jess.

"You two might want to go and get something to eat. She will be sleeping for a while. Cassandra will be monitoring her."

Chris looked at Jess and they agreed. Chris bent down and kissed her on her forehead and then he and Jess left. Tristan stayed a few minutes longer and gazed at her. He wondered how she found herself in this situation and who the bastard was that she had been with.

Tristan was checking the monitor when Rory opened her eyes again. He turned around and smiled at her.

"Hi, would you like some water?" he asked her.

"Yes, but I would like to go to the bathroom."

"Ok, let me get the nurse to bring you a bedpan."

"No please can I use a toilet?"

"Mare, you have had major abdominal surgery, you can't get up and sit."

"Why do you keep calling me Mare or Mary. My name is Rory."

He chuckled, "No you will always be a Mary to me."

Suddenly she recognized him. "Tristan?"

He nodded his head and smiled.

The nurse came in and got the bedpan for her. Tristan stepped out giving her some privacy and she used it. Rory was mortified but she felt better. He returned and stood by her bed.

"Do you feel any better."

"I am sore, and why do I feel so fat?"

"It's normal to feel bloated for a while. It will go down in a few weeks."

"A few weeks? When can I leave?"

"Mary let your body heal. Your dad will be back. He and Jess went to get something to eat. Do you know what happened?"

"I had cramps for the last few days. I thought it was food poisoning then I collapsed in front of Lanes house."

"Mare, you had an ectopic pregnancy. You were about six weeks pregnant."

"Six weeks...I really was pregnant." she started to cry.

"So you and Jess," Tristan said trying to find out if there were something between them.

Rory looked at him in surprise. "Tristan what do you want to ask me?"

"He's not the father?"

"No! Jess and I are just close friends."

"Where is the father?"

"Gone, it's better this way. Why are you asking?"

"Rory, you just lost your baby. It is an emotional time. He should be here with you. You two need to go through this together."

"I will be okay."

"Do you want to call him?"

"No there is no need. He didn't know, I didn't know. I just found out a few days ago. I never told anyone. So please don't tell anyone else. Does Jess know what happened?"

"He just knows that you had an operation. I never told him what kind."

"Thank you, please Tristan. No one needs to know. Please promise you won't say anything." Rory grabbed his hands and looked at him with tears in her eyes.

Tristan looked down at her and saw the sadness in her eyes. "I promise," he told her. He then squeezed her hand. "I will be back before I go home to check on you. Now get some sleep." He then left the room.

Rory looked at the tv hanging across from her bed. She took the control but decided not to turn it on. Instead she closed her eyes and lying in her bed she thought about what had happened to her.

She wondered why she was so weak when it came to Logan. He could convince her to do anything. When she asked him if he was going to marry her his reply was "it was the Dynastic Plan", so she couldn't tell him not to marry Odette. She realized that she was not going to be the other woman, she said no and left. But by leaving him, she had to leave her friends. She no longer could see Stephanie who was going to marry Seth. She and Steph had stayed close. She was the only one that knew she was seeing Logan. She warned Rory to break up with him. Now she wouldn't be able to attend that wedding because she knew he would be there. It would hurt too much. At least she had Lane and Paris, they were always busy, but she also had her mother. She then thought about Lucy and Olivia, maybe she could move in with them in Manhattan. They had offered her a bed in their loft before. She then thought about the baby. A baby that she had created with Logan, a child that was no longer, just like her relationship. She began to cry quietly in bed. The tears came streaming down her face and she couldn't stop. Slowly she began to sob. She let it out, she let out the loss that she felt, the anger she had, and she cried because she suddenly felt all alone.

Dean had finished his shift and came back to the hospital. He stopped at the nurse's station and asked Maggie, the evening nurse how Rory was doing. He told her that she had a slight fever and she was awake. He then walked down the hall. He knocked on the door and pushed it open when he heard her crying,

"Rory, hey, what's going on?" Dean asked her and went to her bedside. She was sobbing hard now, and he held her in his arms. She put her head on his chest and sobbed. He held her in his strong arms reassuring her that everything was going to be okay. She finally settled down and he sat back in the chair and held her hand.

"Do you want to talk?"

"Thanks Dean, could you call the nurse I need to go to the bathroom."

Dean left the room and went to the nurse's station. He spoke to Maggie and she went in. Dean waited outside at the nurse's station when Jess and Christopher returned.

"Dean."

"Jess, Mr. Hayden. I just came to check on Rory to see how she was doing. I brought her to the hospital in my ambulance."

"Thank you Dean, it's good to see you again. It's been a long time."

"Yes it has. Listen I better go. Tell Rory that I will stop by again."

Chris shook Dean's hand and smiled. He walked down the hall to the elevator and the door to Rory's room opened. Maggie the evening nurse came out.

"You both may go in now. See if you can get her to eat. I took out the IV and her temperature seems to have gone down. We will continue to give her the antibiotic just in case she has an infection."

"Thank you," Chris tells the nurse as he and Jess walk into the room.

The head of the bed is at a slight incline and Rory seems to be resting comfortably. Her eyes are closed but she quickly opens them when they walk in.

"Hi," she speaks softly to them.

"Hi, sweetie. Listen I spoke to the doctor and you are going to need help. Before you say anything, your grandmother and I discussed it. We want you to move in with us while you recover. Gigi wants you there too."

"Dad, really that isn't necessary. I will be fine on my own."

Paris walked into her room at that moment. "Gilmore, listen to your father. You can't be alone. If I didn't have such crazy hours I would have you move in with me. If you are here in Hartford it will be easier for me to check up on you. Don't you agree Jess?"

Jess gives Paris a crooked smile, "Yes. This will take a while."

"Rory for the next 6 - 8 weeks you will need to take it easy and recover. You will need to have your blood taken once a week, no driving so it makes sense you stay in Hartford."

"But what about my job at the paper?"

"Don't worry about the paper. You need to recover. Listen, I can have you edit for me. We can pay you, it will be a big help, " Jess suggested.

She looked at Paris, her dad, and Jess she didn't know what to say. She smiled weakly at them. She felt tired and sad. Christopher looked at his daughter, she looked broken, she lost all her fight and he hoped his mother could help her. Maybe being around Gigi could help too.

Paris went to the bed and took Rory's hand and squeezed it. "I'm here if you want to talk."

Rory squeezed her hand back. "Thank you."

Chris went over and kissed her forehead. "I'll be back tomorrow, kiddo. Get some rest."

"Thanks, dad."

"Ror, I'll be back on Wednesday. I'll bring some manuscripts for you to edit. If you need anything call me."

"Jess, don't call my mother or Luke, please."

"Promise you will stay with your father?"

She looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"Rory, you can't be alone, " Jess said holding her hand. "I promised your dad that I will help you get through this."

"Okay, " she whispered. She was too tired to fight, all she wanted to do is sleep and put this nightmare behind her.

Jess kissed her forehead and he followed Chris out of the room. She was alone now, and she closed her eyes. She took a deep shaky breath and tried to sleep.


	4. Chapter 3 Savior

**Chapter 3** **Unexpected Savior**

 **10 pm**

Tristan had three scheduled surgeries after Rory's emergency surgery. He hoped he would be able to check in on her before dinner, but it didn't happen. He was called in for another surgery at six and now four hours later he finally was able to leave the operating room. April one of the nurses on the surgical floor that Rory was on, saw him get off the elevator. They had been on a few dates together and since her shift was over shortly she was hoping he was coming to see her, maybe they could go out for a drink.

"Hello Tristan, oops I mean Doctor. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Oh, hello April. No, where's Maggie?" he asked her glancing around the nurse's station for Maggie, the nurse he asked Cassandra to put in charge of Rory.

"She just went to check on Miss Gilmore. Are you sure I can't help you?"

"No thank you."

April stood there and watched as Tristan, still dressed in his scrubs, walked down the hall to Rory's room. Maggie was just leaving and he stopped her.

"How is she doing?"

"The fever is down. I just gave her another antibiotic. She is having trouble sleeping. Should I give her something?"

"Is she in a lot of pain?"

"I asked her and she said she was okay, but I think she is."

"I'll go check and then let you know."

Tristan walked into her room. Her television was on and she was watching an old Twilight Zone episode called the Long Morrow.

"Hey"

She looked up at him and he came and stood by her bed. Looking at her he noticed the tears in her eyes.

"What are you watching?"

"The Long Morrow. It was our favorite episode. We were supposed to have a love like that."

Tristan sat on her bed and took her hand. She continued to talk opening up to him.

"But he couldn't wait. It was always on his terms. So then we had Vegas."

Tristan didn't say anything, he just listened gently rubbing the back of her hand. He wanted to hold her and tell her that everything would be okay. He was a doctor he could heal her body, but he wanted to do much more. He wanted to see her smile. The smile he remembered from high school. He wanted to tease her like he did when they were younger.

"Vegas?" he asked her.

She looked at him and said, "You know what happens in Vegas.."

"Stays in Vegas," he responded. "But what happened?"

"He became engaged.. but when I said goodbye, he had to come back and we had one night. I should have said no. Why do I let him get to me? I'm the other women all over again." She let go of his hand and turned on her side and cried silently.

Tristan got on the bed and laid beside her and put his arms around her, He knew this wasn't professional, but she wasn't a stranger she was Mary, his Mary and she needed him.

"Mary," he whispered.

"My name isn't Mary,"

He chuckled, "I know but you will always be my Mary."

She looked over her shoulder at him, and he put his chin on her shoulder.

"Hey, look at me."

She rolled over on her back and he sat up and leaned over her.

"Mare,"

She looked at his blue eyes and he studied her eyes. He was able to see the sorrow deep within. . he wanted to kiss her, but he held back. Instead he gently moved a strand of her hair off her cheek and gently caressed it with his finger.

"Tristan?"

"Will you let me help you get through this?" he asked her.

He gently caressed her face and looked at her.

"How?"

He smiled at her, "How about you get some sleep first then we can talk."

She started crying again. "I can't. I'm all alone. They always leave me."

"How about I stay until you go to sleep."

"Will you hold my hand?"

Tristan kicked off his shoes and laid down on his back next to her on the small bed. He turned off the TV.

"Come here, Mare."

He wrapped his arms around her and she put her head on his shoulder. He then gently ran his fingers through her hair. Unconsciously he kissed the top of her head and held her in his arms. She felt safe and closed her eyes. This time she didn't see Logan when she closed her eyes.

Tristan stayed with her till eleven thirty. He knew if he closed his eyes he would not wake up. He slowly got out of bed and let her sleep. He sat in the chair beside her. He thought about what she said, that she was alone. He would have to ask Paris if she knew what she meant by that. He stretched and gently put his feet up on her bed and closing his eyes he fell asleep. Maggie came in at midnight and saw him asleep in the chair. She got out the extra blanket and covered him up. She smiled, as she remembered overhearing the conversation between him and Dr. Gellar. This was so unusual for him to visit a patient he operated on before rounds. Maggie wondered if this beautiful young woman was someone important to them.

 **Next day in Manhattan**

The day after Rory was operated on, Robert woke up in his apartment with a hangover. He poured a cup of coffee and took some aspirin and drank half of a bottle of water. He and Finn had been out together last night and talked about Logan and what he had done to Rory. They decided that today they were going to drive to Stars Hollow and see how mother was doing. It had been six weeks since she said goodbye. Even though Logan was going through with this stupid Dynastic Plan, why should they lose her as a friend. He got into his shower hoping the water would revive him.

It was eleven o'clock by the time he left his apartment in lower Manhattan. He started his BMW and drove the six blocks to Finn's penthouse. Leaving his car with the valet, he quickly walked to the elevator to the penthouse where Finn lived. Robert knocked loudly on the door, when Finn didn't answer he used his key and walked in.

"Finn you lazy Ratbag, get up! Remember we are going to Stars Hollow to find mother."

Robert walked into the bedroom and opened the curtains. He kicked the bed and the lump in the middle of the bed stirred.

"Bloody hell mate! My eyes! What is that bright light? Is that the sun?"

Robert shook his head and kicked the bed again. Finn hadn't changed since they were in college. It was a good thing he didn't have a nine to five job or he would have been sacked.

"Finn get in the shower, let's go."

Finn got out of bed and padded into the bathroom. Robert went into the kitchen and started coffee. He took out the Vegemite and melted some cheese, that Finn liked to eat in the morning and put bread in the toaster for him. Fifteen minutes later Finn came out in a cashmere black pullover, black jeans, and his hair still wet from the shower. He took the cup of coffee and toast that Robert gave him slathered with Vegemite and cheese. He ate it in four bites, taking his coffee in an insulated mug he followed Robert into the elevator to his car. Robert pulled out into traffic and drove the two-hour drive to Stars Hollow.

"Tell me why are we going on this car ride so early in the day? All the Sheilas are still asleep," Finn asked Robert.

"Because we haven't heard from her in weeks. This isn't like her. We all stayed in touch after we graduated. Finn you and Logan are close, what the hell was he thinking?"

"Logan is following the Dark Lord's orders," Finn responded with a grimace as he took a swig of his coffee.

"Mate why didn't you put some whiskey in here?"

Robert ignored his last comment thinking about Logan he said, "But at 34 you think he would have grown some balls."

They continued this discussion on their trip to Stars Hollow. Arriving in the quaint town they parked the car down the street from the diner. The two men with their sunglasses on got out of the car. Robert hit the button and locking the car they walked up the street towards the diner.

"This place looks different in the light of day," Robert said as he looked around and noticed the funny man walking with a pig on a leash.

"Looks like a bad movie set that I have been on," Finn said as he looked down the street to the building where they hit golf balls from six weeks ago.

They walked to the corner building and looked in the diner window.

"Is this the diner that Rory said she always went too?" Robert asked

"I think so, I don't see another diner around," Finn responded.

"Okay let's go in, I bet someone here will know where she is."

Walking into the diner the two men noticed an empty table in the center of the restaurant and sat down. They hadn't been sitting at the table long when an Asian woman their age came over with a menu and two place settings.

"What can I get for you to drink?"

Robert looked up at her and said, "Water and coffee please,"

She then looked at Finn. Finn took off his sunglasses and smiled his sexy smile . He began speaking in a thick Australian accent, "Luv could you bring me a cuppa with cream, single and your special with a side of bangers. I will need tomato sauce and jelly too. Thank you."

Lane looked at him with her mouth opened. She had no idea what he said.

"My friend will have a cup of coffee with half and half, your special with sausage. And he would like jelly with his toast and ketchup," Robert said to Lane.

"Mate, that's what I said," Finn said looking at him, "Are you havin' that too?"

Robert rolled his eyes at Finn and said, "Make that two please."

Just then two older women walk in the diner and sat down at a table not far from them.

"Lane, Lane. How's Rory? Have you heard from Jess? Did they find out what was wrong?" Babette called to Lane from across the room.

Lane walked to the order window, placing the order slip on the counter she said, "Caesar I need two specials with a side of sausage."

She then brought two coffee mugs filled with coffee to Robert and Finn then turned and walked to Babette and Miss Patty's table.

"Jess called, he stopped by this morning to see her before he left. She had a fever and that is gone. He is not sure if they will release her today or not."

"Fever? Is that what caused her to collapse in the middle of town? That poor girl. Is Lorelai and Luke coming home? Lane, she can stay with me and Morey till Luke and Lorelai get back," Babette said with concern in her voice.

"Zac and I are going to Hartford to see her later after the noon rush. I'll know more then."

"Lane tell her not to worry and we are asking about her, " Miss Patty said.

"Thanks Babette and Miss Patty but I'm not sure Rory will be home so soon after the operation. Jess said the doctor told him it could take six to eight weeks of recovery."

"Mate, Luv had an operation. This isn't good. Should we call Logan?" Finn whispered to Robert.

"Not here. Let's finish our food and call Colin. Maybe we could find out where she is first."

Lane brought their food over to the table and they began to eat. They sat and enjoyed their meal. Finn left a twenty on the table for a tip, while Robert went over and paid the fifteen-dollar check. The two men left and went to their car. Finn called Colin who was working on some contracts in his office in Manhattan. They told him what they had just learned about Rory. Colin was very worried and agreed to meet them back at Finn's apartment later that day.

 **Hartford General Hospital Surgical Floor**

Tristan spent the night in Rory's room asleep in the chair by the bed. When Paris came in on her morning rounds, she shook Tristan gently.

"Tris, did Rory get worse during the night?"

"No she was afraid to go to sleep, so I sat with her and I guess I fell asleep. He looked at the blanket on him. He stood up and rubbed his chin.

"Listen I am going to the surgeon's lounge to shower and change. I will be back to check on her." He got up and looked at her vitals. He gently touched her forehead and she turned. She opened her blue eyes and looked at him. She smiled and whispered,

"Your still here. You didn't leave."

"Yes, I am still here. I am going to go and get cleaned up. Paris is here, and she will examine you. I promise I will be back, okay?"

'Yes," she whispered and grabbed his hand and held it. "Tristan thank you. Promise me that everything will be okay?"

"Mary, I promise. You are not broken, and you are not alone." He leaned over and gently kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes as she felt the tenderness of his lips against her skin.

Paris placed a hand on his shoulder and looked at him. "Tristan, be careful."

"Don't worry Paris. I will."

Tristan walked to the black elevators and headed to the surgeon's locker room and lounge. He went over to one of the private shower stalls and quickly stripped off his scrubs. Turning on the shower he stood under the water letting the hot water beat on his body. He was tired and exhausted. He had been at the hospital for 10 hours yesterday, when he had gotten the call to work on Rory Gilmore. He then completed another 8-hour shift before he went into her room.

There was something that always seem to pull him to her. When Paris told him that it was Rory that he was operating on he was shocked. He wondered why after all these years she was returning in his life. Letting the water beat on his sore shoulder muscles he lathered himself with his body/hair wash. He closed his eyes and remembered the last time he said goodbye to her. He was supposed to be Romeo to her Juliet in a high school play. He rinsed himself off and quickly wrapped the towel around his waist. He grabbed a second towel and dried his hair and upper body. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and the tattoo on his upper left arm. It was the tattoo of the Navy corpsman with the words under it saying "They Call Me DOC. "

After Tristan completed his year and a half in military school in North Carolina, he attended Boston University to study pre-med. After graduating with honors he was accepted into Harvard Medical School where he and Paris found themselves in school together again. She was now married to Doyle Mcmaster, and soon they found themselves competing against each other.

Harvard Medical school was not cheap. He did not want to borrow money from his parents or take out high-interest loans, so he researched ways to pay for school. His friend, Conrad Ross, from military school, suggested that he go into the Naval Reserve. He researched what he needed to do and realized that this would allow him to complete his medical training without having any loans to pay back after completing school. He also was able to train under one of the best orthopedic surgeons, Dr. Kim, where he learned robotic surgery. When it came time to do his residency he decided to do it at a hospital closer to his parents' home. A residency placement came up at Harford General Hospital which helped him move closer to home. He told Paris about the residency openings there and since she and Doyle were separated they both applied.

Two years into his residency his grandfather, Janlan Dugray, passed away, which was the same year that Rory had lost her grandfather, Richard Gilmore. After his grandfather's death he became closer to his parents. Janlan had also left him his companies and he inherited his grandfather's wealth. He realized quickly that as a surgical resident he did not have time to run his Grandfathers companies. Talking it over with his parents, they agreed that he shouldn't leave medicine, so he formed a board to manage his money and the companies. His father had retired from his job as a military attaché, so he placed his mother and father on the board. Once Tristan had finished his residency as a general surgeon, specializing in robotic surgery, he was hired at Hartford General Hospital and Paris was hired to work in ObGyn there in Hartford.

Tristan had many relationships in the past, but he never let himself become attached. He often fantasized what his life would be like if he never left Chilton and he and Rory had dated. Seeing Rory again last night stirred feeling for her that he thought were gone. He had that same attraction for her, in fact now it was more. She was beautiful, fragile and he felt a need to protect her. He quickly changed into his street clothes and left the surgeon's locker room.

He had the next two days off and he planned to go back to his apartment and sleep for the next twenty-four hours after he checks on Rory again.

Tristan steps off the black elevator and walks to Rory's room. Foodservice had just left her room and her breakfast was in front of her. As he entered her room and saw her sitting there with her long brown hair falling down her shoulders he was taken at how beautiful she looked. He remembered how silky her hair felt in his fingers last night. He felt himself stir in his pants.

"Hi, I see they brought you something to eat. How much pain are you in on a scale of one to ten?"

She looked at him, no longer in his scrubs but in a pair of jeans and a navy-blue Henley that was unbuttoned at his neck where she could see the blond chest hair peeking out. She thought to herself, he is so sexy. Logan was vain and always had his chest waxed leaving him hairless with a smooth chest. Logan was always working out, but Tristan looked more ripped, she remembered how she felt in his arms last night, so safe so secure. Was this the scrawny Bible Boy who used to tease her in high school?

"Mare, I asked you how you were feeling.. On a scale of one to ten your pain level."

"Oh, about an eight I guess, depends which way I move."

"Okay did the nurse give you anything for your pain?"

"Umm I don't know. Hey, can I have some coffee I haven't had any and I have a headache."

Tristan took out the thermometer and rolled it across her forehead. Normal temperature. 

"Okay, I will go down to the lobby, there is a coffee shop there, Starbucks. What kind do you want?" he smiled at her as she licked her lips.

"A Venti Pike Place with cream and sugar please. Oh and something to eat with that please.."

"What you don't like… ugg runny eggs?" He said lifting the lid off the food.

She made a face and he laughed.

"You've got it. I will be back shortly."

He turned and left her smiling. As he was going down the elevator to the lobby he wondered why he felt so happy. He was relieved when he walked in and saw her sitting up. He was worried about her and the nightmares she had coming out of anesthesia bothered him. He remembered the conversation they had last night when he went into the room and she was crying watching the Twilight Zone show. The man who got her pregnant had hurt her deeply. He wondered if she would ever be able to have a healthy relationship again after that.

He went to the lobby and stood in line. Paris was standing in line and waved to him. He went over to where she was and stood behind her.

"You look a lot better than when I saw you this morning and you smell better too."

"Thanks," he said not wanting to get into small talk with her.

"Well I assume you saw Rory because you haven't asked me any questions. So I'm going to ask you a question. Why did you spend the night? Do you think that it was wise?"

"I told you, I went in after rounds to check on her and she asked me to stay. She was crying. I sat in the chair and fell asleep. End of story."

The line moved forward, and Paris gave her order and moved to the side while she waited for it. Tristan then stepped forward to the next barista and gave his order.

"One Venti Pike Place with cream and sugar. Put those on the side please, a Grande green tea, a chocolate chip muffin, a sausage cheddar and egg breakfast sandwich, and two Spinach, Feta & Cage Free Egg White Breakfast Wraps, to go please."

He paid for the food and moved over to the side.

"Seems like a lot of food even for you Dugray. Since when do you drink coffee."

"I don't,"

Paris picked up her order and went to sit down.

"Do you want to join me?" she asked him.

"No I have to bring this order to someone," he answered and quickly put the two drinks in the carrier and then grabbed the bag that the food was in.

"I'll talk to you later Paris."

He left heading back to the elevators. Paris watched him get back on the black elevator. She knew where he was heading. She just hoped he wouldn't hurt her best friend.

For the past four years Paris had been busy working to be at the top of her class in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She was also a surgeon specializing in Obstetrics. It had cost her a short marriage to Doyle, but they never had children. Paris had dated Jamie, her first boyfriend, who was a junior senator for the state of New Hampshire. When she got the surgical residency she was surprised at the strong competition she had, even more surprised when she found that Tristan Dugray was her biggest competitor. Now three and a half years later, they had become respected colleagues and friends. In the long hours of the ER and surgery they confided in each other. She broke up with Jamie and focused on her residency, that is until she saw Jess again. Tristan was becoming one of the best and most respected surgeons at the hospital.

Paris admired him and often would refer surgeries or assist him. She became part of his group of doctors, who would sit together, laugh, share stories and drink. They became close, best friends and he supported her when her marriage had failed and when she broke up with Jamie She would sit back and laugh when the "King of Hartford General" would put on his charm and all the female doctors and nurses would swoon over "Doc" the naval surgeon.

Tristan and Paris would sit at the bar after a long shift and share memories about their days at Chilton and about their friends, especially Madeline, Louise and Rory. She admitted to him that once she went to Yale, she lost touch with Madeline and Louise. She and Rory had stayed in contact until a year ago. They had a few quick visits, but Paris had noticed that Rory had changed. Paris was concerned because she felt that Rory seemed to be floundering, with no directions. It reminded her of the time that Rory had quit school. She had a feeling that somehow Logan was back in the picture.

Tristan never said much about Rory, but one night three weeks ago after a long shift, they found themselves drinking at the bar. They were both very drunk and he confessed how he felt about Rory and how he wished that he could meet her and have a chance with her again. Then last night when Rory appeared at the ER she wondered if destiny was playing a trick on them. She had often told Rory that Logan was really a sorry substitute for Tristan, Logan was the Tristan 2.0. She had argued with her and told her that the original was a much better choice.. Was this written in the stars and meant to be?

Tristan returned to the surgical floor and walked into Rory's room. He handed her the coffee and she took it and immediately added two sugars and two half and halves. She then took a big sip of her coffee and groaned. "Oh thank you, this taste so good."

"Well I didn't know what you liked to eat so I bought you a chocolate chip muffin and a sausage cheddar egg sandwich. He took his cup of green tea and opened his spinach feta egg white wrap. He took a sip of his tea and took a bite out of his wrap.

"Thank you," She opened the muffin and began to break it apart and take small bites from it. She turned her head when she heard one of her phones buzz. He opened the cabinet where the nurse placed her purse. He handed her bag to her and she opened it up. He laughed while she pulled out three different phones. She looked at the caller ID and closed the phone. It was from Colin. She turned off this phone. She took out her work phone and asked Tristan to plug it in and then handed him the plug for her phone, she then turned off the other phone that she used just for Logan. As far as she knew these were the only two numbers he could reach her on. When she gets out of the hospital she needed to get a new phone.

"Is everything alright?" he asked her, "Mare, why do you have three phones?"

"Yes, oh shit. Well one is for work, one is my old phone and this one…sometimes I can get service in Stars Hollow and sometimes I can't. Could you hand me that iPhone?" she asked him.

"You know Mary, all you need to do is go to the Verizon store and get the newer iPhone. They can transfer the numbers on the phones to a new phone."

Looking up at him with her blue eyes that reminded him of Bambi's eyes in the Disney movie she asked, "I hate to ask you this but..no never mind."

"Hey Mare," he said sitting on the edge of the bed as he handed her the phone. He placed his hand on her leg. She suddenly felt a warm tingly sensation go up her leg

He knew he could not deny her of a request he said, "You can ask me anything."

"Tris. I was wondering if you could do me a favor. Could you go and get me a new iPhone? Since I don't know how long I will be here and if you could take this phone and have them transfer the numbers on this phone to my new phone. But I could wait and ask Lane when she comes. She understands why I have three phones. This phone is the one my ex-calls me on and so does his friends. So I really don't need to transfer those numbers. Once it is changed I can call my mom, dad, and Jess and give them my new number…" she continued to ramble like she does whenever she becomes confused.

"Yes I can do that," he said to her smiling when she finished rambling.

She took out her credit card and handed it to him. "Here is my license, credit card and social security card."

He looked at her as she hands him her cards saying, "Are you sure you want to do this? Why don't you just block his calls?"

"I could do that, but I don't want to be tempted to answer, if he calls. When it comes to him I have trouble saying no." She turned her head away from him and he noticed the tears form in her eyes.

She sat quietly and ate her chocolate chip muffin. The other phone rang this time. She looked at it and saw it was Colin again. Why was he calling me.

"Do you want me to answer it?" he asked her.

She smiled, "Okay,"

Tristan picked up the phone. "Hello," he said into the phone.

"Uh no, who's calling?"

"Oh, well there is no one here by that name. Okay. Goodbye."

She looked at him and he said, "Do you know a Robert Grimaldi?"

"Yeah that is one of his best friends."

"Then you should block that number." He handed her the phone and she blocked the number.

The phone rang again, and she looked at the number.

"Shit." She let it ring again and then answered it.

"Mom? Hi how is the weather? Where are you now? I am fine, everything is fine. No, in fact I am on my way now to Hartford. Oh I might lose you because I am walking into the hospital now to visit the doctor. Okay I will call you back.." she hung up the phone.

"Does your mom know you are in the hospital?"

"No she thinks I am heading to the doctor's office here for a pregnancy test. I told her I was pregnant the day she left. Her last words were, Rory make an appointment, and have it checked out."

Tristan sighed, "What will you tell her when she calls back?"

"I don't know."

She turned off the phone and handed him her phone, credit card, license and social security card. "Please Tristan, will you help me with this?"

Smiling at her he nodded. He took her cards and slipped them in his jean pockets and then picked up her phone. He stood up, "You know you could ask Paris to do this, she would do it for you."

"No I would need to hear a lecture first from her and I am not ready for a Paris lecture."

He chuckled and understood having been at the receiving end of a Paris lecture many times.

"I will be back later. Meantime, I see you grimace every time you move, let me check your wound sites."

He walked to the side of her bed and lifted the sheet and gently lifted her gown. He noticed that she was wearing lace panties. He smiled and looked at her face. She was blushing.

"Lane had dropped off some clothes for me last night, and the nurse helped me this morning to put them on when I went to the bathroom."

He raised his eyebrows and then said, "I have to move them down a bit."

Rory bit her lip and looked at him as he gently lowered her panties to her hips. When he touched her she felt herself tremble. He looked around the bandage to make sure that it wasn't red, he checked the other bandage above her pubic bone. He also checked her navel. "I had to make three little incisions", he told her, "The largest is through your navel, and the pain you feel is from where I had to perform the surgery. It will take a while."

He gently pulled the panties back up and covered her up. He was replacing the blanket when there was a knock on the door. The door opened, and it was Dean followed by Cassandra.

"Hi Doc, " Cassandra smiled at him, "I just came in to change her dressing and give the patient her pain medicine. Hello Rory, what level is your pain at now?"

"It's about an eight." Rory was blushing seeing Dean here and having Tristan standing so close. The phone she handed Tristan began to ring. He looked at it and raised his eyebrows.

"Well I better go now," he said. "Rory don't worry, I can take care of the little matter you asked me to." He then nodded to Dean and left the room. He stop and spoke to Arlene, who was the day nurse on duty.

"Arlene, I will be back in few hours. Please have Cassandra call me if there is any change in Miss Gilmore's condition. I want to keep her one more day. Could you have someone help her out of bed and see if she could walk around some. I want her walking before she is released."

He took the green elevator this time and headed to the parking garage where is Red Ford Mustang convertible was parked. He pressed the key to unlock his car and getting in he drove off to the nearest Verizon store to change her phone.


	5. Chapter 4 Searching

**Taking Back Control**

 **Chapter 4** **Searching**

Robert and Finn drove directly to Finn's home after they left the diner in Stars Hollow. As they got off the elevator heading into Finn's apartment his cell phone rang.

"Finn my man, does your family still have that beautiful place in Punta Cana?"

Immediately Finn put Logan on speakerphone.

"Yeah mate they do, what's up? 

"I need to get out of London. I need sunshine. I'm going to call Colin and Robert and see how fast everyone can get ready to go on a trip. Are you up for it?"

"I'm right here," Robert said to Logan.

"Great, so are you ready for some sunshine and some beautiful ladies?"

"You know I always am ready for beautiful women," Robert said with a smirk. Robert was a free-lance portrait photographer and lived off his trust fund and the money he made taking photographs of beautiful women. He already had one tabletop book published since graduating from Yale and since that publication, thanks to HPG, he had become a photographer that is in demand. He now owned two studios one in California and the other in Manhattan.

"Great, I will call Colin now and then call you both back with the time when we will be leaving."

Finn closed his phone and the two of them walked into Finn's apartment. Robert went and sat down in the black leather recliner as Finn flopped down on his leather sofa.

"Now that is strange," Robert said to Finn once Logan hung up.

"Yeah, mate it was. We were just going to call him, and he calls us. Do you think we should have said something about Rory?"

"Umm I don't know let's wait for Colin," Robert said just as Colin walked through the door.

"Okay, Logan I will talk to Finn and Robert and we will call you back."

"What's going on guys? What happened to Reporter Girl? Did you say anything to Logan yet?"

"No we didn't get a chance. Logan just invited us to go to " **my parents' home** " for his little diversion. Luckily my parents aren't using their home," Finn sarcastically replied as he poured Colin and Robert each a drink and handed it to them.

"By the way, Reporter Girls not in Stars Hollow. We overheard people asking an Asian woman how she is, seems she was taken to the hospital," Robert continued as he sipped his drink.

"Wait, Reporter Girl is in the Hospital? Do you know what happened? Do we know where?" Colin asked.

"No, and we didn't want to ask either."

"So why do you think Logan has this need to go to Punta Cana," Finn asked as he finished his drink and poured another. "

Colin's father had recently drawn the prenup for both Logan and Odette to sign. He knew the reason for this getaway. This was one of Logan's diversions, so he didn't have to spend time with her or sign the prenup.

"He's getting married in three months and I have a feeling he isn't happy about it," Colin said sitting back in the red and black plaid wing chair and sipping his drink

"None of us are happy about it," Robert added.

"He is giving up one of the best women around for that plastic French Heiress. He doesn't love her. He love's mother."

"She's too good for him, Mate," Finn said into his glass thinking about Rory.

"Colin should we call her phone?" Robert asked hearing what Finn mumbled in his glass and silently agreeing with him.

"That's not a bad idea. She might be okay. Let me call the cell phone number that I have for the private line."

Colin called the cell phone number that Logan had given him. It was to their private phone. When she didn't answer that one he immediately became concerned.

"That's strange, it goes directly to voicemail. I guess she doesn't want to speak to Logan anymore."

Robert decided to call the other number on his phone. Robert got up and walked toward the picture window that looked out over Central Park.

"Who's this? Yes I am calling Rory Gilmore." Robert was standing staring out the window with a frown suddenly crossing his face. He closed his phone and walked towards them. Finn was watching Robert's stunned reaction when he shut his phone.

"That's funny!"

"What's funny, mate did she answer the call?" Finn asked him. .

"No some guy did. He said that there was no one by that name at this number."

Finn shook his head. He had her private number also and they had a secret code. He would let it ring once and hang up then ring again three minutes later. Usually she would answer, but he didn't want the guys to know that he had tried that number last night and she never answered.

With concern in his voice Finn exclaimed, "Crikey Mate, do you think she was mugged and had her phones stolen?"

"In Stars Hollow? Finn we were just there. It's like a movie set, you said it yourself."

"You do know she does travel and goes to different places, Robert. Logan ran into her in Hamburg. That's what started the whole stupid affair," Colin said annoyed thinking how stupid Logan was for giving up on Rory. If he ever changed his mind about marriage, he definitely would have married Rory. However his father ruined his thoughts about marriage and women.

"I don't know, the women in Stars Hollow seem to know where she was, we just didn't stay around to ask." Robert told him.

Waiting for the boys to call him back, Logan poured himself another drink, he was restless and no longer could sit at his desk. He looked out the window at the drizzling rain that seemed always to be coming down in London. He remembered how he looked forward to those rainy days when Rory was there. They would hunker down in his apartment, ordering out and making love. Now it only reminded him of sadness and tears, his tears that he refused to shed for the love that he lost.

The wedding was still three months away, but Logan still refused to believe that it would happen. For the last seven weeks he could think of nothing else but Rory. An article would cross his desk and he would think about the words she would have used to make the story more interesting. He remembered how she looked when they were in New Hampshire. He was so confident that she would accept his arrangement. But instead she handed him back the key to his house in Maine, that he gave her, so she could write a novel, but instead of telling him goodbye. He knew she didn't mean it, so he gave her these past seven weeks to think about it, hoping she would change her mind and call him. But she didn't call. Logan returned to London telling himself that it was okay, but six days later he found himself going online hoping to send her a message, but she closed her Facebook page, her twitter account and her Instagram account. The emails he sent her were returned so he contacted Conde Nash. They told him that she never came in for the interview that his father had set up for her. He was at a loss. He didn't know what to do, she was his everything and the only way he could go through with his father's plan was to know that she would be there waiting in the little house in Maine for him.

If only she had said, "Logan I want to marry you. Please don't get married to Odette."

He would have brought her to the justice of the peace in New Hampshire and with the boys as their witness he would have married her immediately. He had the rings and marriage license on him. But she didn't and so he let her leave without an argument.

Mitchum had been watching him closely since he saw them both together in April at the restaurant. Logan thought that he convinced his father that they were not together especially since she left right after that. The summer was so long without her, and his father pushed for the engagement to be announced. He became suspicious when Logan went to New Hampshire with his friends. So when he returned, his father made sure that he was kept busy and insisted that Odette move in with him. He hated having her around, so he began to drink and stay at his office and often fell asleep there.

That was the reason he had to get away. At first Logan was going to catch a direct flight to Manhattan to meet up with the guys, but he knew he would be tempted to drive to Stars Hollow and look for her and beg her to come back to him. So when Logan told his father and Odette at dinner that he was leaving to go to Punta Cana with Finn, his father pulled him aside and made him promise that he would not return to the states.

Logan couldn't wait any longer for them to call him back. Picking up his phone, Logan immediately called Finn's landline. The men heard the phone ring in the office and Finn put the call on speaker when they saw Logan's number on caller id, . They also decided that they would not mention Rory to him. After talking for five minutes they decided that they would leave in two days where they would meet Logan at Finn's parent's place and spend the week there in Punta Cana. Colin quickly rearranged his meetings, so he would be able to do them on conference calls no matter where he was. Sitting in the sun sounded better to him than being in a cold office building in Manhattan. He packed his iPad, laptop and files in his briefcase. Finn was in between taping for his television series, so now he had free time. Robert now has the freedom to live on his trust fund since he has a career as a professional photographer, and recently had an open schedule, so he was free to drop everything and go.

Early Sunday morning on October 15, Finn, Robert and Colin boarded Finn's private jet to head off to Punta Cana to meet up with Logan. Leaving at eight thirty, which Finn grumbled about, the limousine arrived and picked up the three men taking them to the private airport where Finn had his private jet waiting. They got on the jet and took the four-hour nonstop flight to beautiful Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.

A car was waiting for them which took them directly to the Villa at Tortuga Bay to wait for Logan who would be coming in later that evening. Arriving at the Villa, that was owned by Finn's parents, they each chose a bedroom. Finn took the bedroom his parents usually used, the one with the balcony. Robert chose the room with the direct access to the terrace, Colin took the other room that Finn used to use as a child, leaving two other rooms available for Logan to choose from.

The men quickly got into their speedo's and went to lounge around the pool. The chef had prepared them some food to eat and the bartender was making them drinks. Finn took out the cigars and the three men relaxed smoked and drank around the pool waiting for Logan to arrive.

Finn had gone in to take a shower leaving Robert and Colin at the pool talking when Logan arrived.

Logan walked into the beautiful villa and yelled, "Hello."

No one answered the door so Logan continued to walk toward the pool. He dropped his bag by the sliding glass door as he walked out to the infinity pool where the two men were floating on rafts.

"Robert, did you try calling her again?" Colin asked.

"Yes, this time I got a response that said the number is no longer in service."

"How about you?"

"The phone rings once then it goes right to her voicemail, " Colin responded.

"You know, Colin somethings wrong with Rory. I just know it. In the past if I called and left her a message she would call back," Robert said.

"What do you mean something is wrong with Rory?" Logan said interrupting their conversation. He had stood at the side of the pool and happened to overhear what his best friends were talking about. He tried to show them that he didn't care.

Robert and Colin glanced up when they heard Logan's voice.

"Logan, don't worry. Finn and I went to visit her, but she wasn't in Stars Hollow so we have been trying to call her."

Robert got off his raft and swam to the side of the pool and got out.

"Guys she said goodbye to all of us. She meant it. I must accept it. Now let's go out and find some hot babes to spend the weekend with."

"What about Odette, your fiancé? "Colin asked as he swam to the ladder and climbed out.

"What about her?" Logan responded giving Colin a nasty look.

""Okay, okay, just asking." Colin reached for a towel and began to dry off.

"Come on Robert, now that Logan is here we might as well go and get ready to go out." Colin led the way as they walked inside the beautiful home to their rooms, leaving Logan to choose the other large bedroom with the King size bed and rain shower. Soon all the men were clean and ready to go out into the city of Punta Cana with their driver.

 **Hartford General Hospital.**

After Tristan left with Rory's phone and the nurse had given her a shot for pain, Dean came in.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired and sleepy now."

"I saw the doctor in here. Is everything okay?"

"He was just checking to make sure I was okay. They were worried that I might have an infection. I hope I can go home tomorrow."

"You can't go home alone Rory. Look, I have an extra bedroom at my place you are welcome to stay there."

Rory gave him a shy smile. "Thank you Dean but I don't think so. I am going to stay with my dad, grandmother, and Gigi."

"Okay, the offer is still open," he said with a smile not wanting her to know that he was disappointed that she wouldn't take him up on his offer. He still had a strong attraction for her. He wished he hadn't been so stupid and stubborn when they had been in high school

"That is kind of you, but you have your work. Staying with my father and grandmother is better because I will have them there to help me."

Dean looked at her and nodded his head. Cassandra came into the room and smiled at Dean. He smiled back at her. She checked her vitals and made sure that her pitcher was full of water.

"Rory, I know you had a cup of coffee this morning, but I need you to drink water or we will have to put the IV back in. Also you need to eat, or you will be sick."

"I ate the muffin."

"Okay but I see you have an egg sandwich here. I can warm it up for you?"

"Maybe later," she said and yawned.

"Dean, I think she is going to fall asleep. The medicine that she is on will make her sleepy."

"Okay, I have to go anyway. I just wanted to stop and check on her before my shift starts."

"Rory, if you need anything, call me. Here is my number."

Not seeing a phone nearby, Dean wrote his phone number on a piece of paper that Cassandra gave him then handed it to Rory..

Rory closed her eyes then her eyes fluttered opened..

"Thank you," she said weakly taking the phone number from him and tucking it under her pillow.

Dean and Cassandra turned and walked out of her room.

"How do you know her?" Cassandra asked him.

"She is my ex."

"Wait, I thought your ex was named Lindsay."

"Yes my ex-wife is Lindsay, Rory was my ex-girlfriend, before Lindsay. We dated while we went to high school."

"Oh the one that got away?"

"Yes, funny how life brings us back here," he told her looking back into the room and seeing her fast asleep.

"Yes, funny."

"Okay I have to go. See you at the bar later tonight Cass?" he asked her.

"Maybe. Are you bartending?"

Dean smiled, "Maybe, depends on if Sam is there or not."

Sam was Dean's best friend and one of the partners in the bar. All three men, Sam, Dean and Clay were all single EMT's that bought the business. Dean was the handyman carpenter, Clay was the businessman and Sam was the charm and charisma in the bar that all the ladies love.

Rory woke about two hours later and saw her grandmother and father sitting there.

"Hi," she said hoarsely and winced as she tried to move up in the bed.

"How long have you been here?"

"Not too long dear, about ten minutes," her grandmother told her getting up and kissing her on the forehead.

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"The nurse told us that she gave you some pain medication and that is why you were asleep. How is the pain now?"

She tried to sit up and winced.

.

Francine got up from her chair and immediately went to stand beside the bed to help her granddaughter.

"Here let me help you. How's that dear?"

Francine arranged the pillows behind her and pushed the button that would move the bed up in an angle.

"To answer your question we wanted you to rest," her dad responded.

"Better, Dad would you get a nurse? I need to use the bathroom."

Chris stepped out of the room and came back with a male nurse. Rory blushed when she saw him. However she needed to go. He gently helped her out of bed. She was hunched over and had trouble standing up. He walked into the bathroom and got it ready for her. He came out and she was able to pull her pants down and sit on the toilet. She felt relief but when she wiped herself she noticed she was bleeding and she panicked.

She rang the bell and the nurse knocked at her door.

"Rory do you need my help?" Jeff, the male nurse asked.

"Umm could you get one of the female nurses?" she asked him.

"Sure," he quickly walked out of the room and found Ariel, an LPN who worked on this floor. Ariel knocked at the bathroom door.

"Miss Gilmore, this is Ariel, can I help you?"

"Yes, could you come in please?"

Ariel came into the room and looked at Rory who was sitting on the toilet very pale.

"I am bleeding, and they are big clots."

"Okay dear let me get you a pad." She reached up to the small cupboard in the bathroom and pulled out a large thick sanitary napkin and handed it to her.

"Here, I am sure you are sore, let me pull your panties up by your knees," Ariel told her and pulled up her panties that had slipped down to her ankles. She helped her position the pad on her panties and gently helped her up. She noticed the large clots in the toilet and decided not to flush it but let Cassandra check it. She didn't think this was normal. She then helped Rory return to her bed. Rory looked pale as she laid down on her bed. Ariel washed her hands after removing her gloves and then went over to the nurse's station where Cassandra was talking to Jeff.

"Cassandra, I know that Miss Gilmore had surgery yesterday for an ectopic pregnancy and Dr Dugray did the surgery. Is it normal for her to be passing clots?"

"Yes, it is but I will call Dr. Gellar since Dr. Dugray is off today. Go ahead and flush the toilet."

Ariel went back into the bathroom and flushed and cleaned the toilet. Cassandra came in and talked to Rory.

"Rory don't panic, I called Dr. Gellar she will come down and speak to you and explain what your body is going through."

"Okay, thank you."

While Rory was in the bathroom her grandmother and Christopher had gone to the waiting room to wait until she was back in her bed to give her some privacy. Christopher did not go into detail explaining the type of operation she had to his mother yet, since he did not want her to be worried. Francine had asked her if she thought that she should call Emily, but Christopher told her no, not until Rory was out of the hospital and was feeling up to talking to her. Arial found the Hayden's and told them that they could return to the room. As Paris was getting off the black elevator on the surgical floor to check on Rory, Tristan walked off the green elevator and arrived at her room first. He was handing her phone back to her when Paris walked into the room.

"Paris, I have a new phone, here is my new number."

"Rory was there something wrong with your other phone?" Paris asked her.

"No. It's better this way. Now I won't get calls from Logan or his friends."

Paris quickly typed in the new phone number on her phone and called Rory, so she could save her number on her phone. Tristan stood beside Rory showing her how her phone worked and handed back her cards and license to her. He handed her the receipt and she noticed that there was no charge on it.

"Tristan there is no charge for the new phone?"

"That's because you were due for an upgrade, so they just upgraded it and changed the numbers for you. The other two phones, you can either upgrade or remove them from your account. I transferred all the numbers from the other two phones on this phone so now you only need the one phone."

"But one phone was for work only."

"Not anymore. Look this will be easier, you can set different rings for each group of calls and you can group them."

She looked up at him and smiled, "You still have that bossy attitude."

Christopher and Francine returned to the room carrying a big bouquet of flowers while Rory was speaking to Tristan and Paris.

"Me? Mare, give me a break."

"Rory, did he just call you Mare?" her father asked her looking surprised.

"Yes, Dad he did."

"Is this the same Dugray that used to pick on you in high school? You and your mother had a few names for him."

"Yes, Bible Boy," she said smirking up at him.

"Really, you disliked me that much?"

"No Tristan, she never disliked you, she was intrigued by you, in fact her last boyfriend was you, but a 2.0 version," Paris responded.

Rory laughed at Paris then.

"Paris, you always told me, especially when you were drunk, that Logan was just another version of Tristan. That if I had wanted a trust fund baby so badly that I should have taken my chances back in high school with Tristan, instead of running away from him crying after he kissed me."

Tristan crossed his arms over his chest and smiled. "Well, well, and to think all the times I made out with the girls in the hallway near your locker to make you jealous. It worked."

"You are despicable, Tristan and bossy."

They all started laughing.

Paris then turned to Rory and said, "Rory, Cassandra asked me to talk to you. She told me that you were experiencing bleeding. I just want to let you know that this is normal after what you just went through."

"Wait, she was experiencing bleeding?" Francine said shocked, as Christopher put the flowers on the stand by her bed.

"Christopher, I thought you said she had her abdomen operated on. Didn't she have her appendix out?"

Chris looked at his mother, then at Tristan and Paris.

"It's okay, please explain to my grandmother and father what happened, " Rory told them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hayden, Rory had an ectopic pregnancy. She was six weeks pregnant and the egg never made it inside the uterus. Instead it formed a cyst between the uterus wall and the neck of the tube. I was able to remove the cyst and save her fallopian tube surgically. I also, was able to remove the IUD she was using as birth control. That was the cause of this pregnancy. At any rate, this will be a six to the eight-week recovery period. No driving, no lifting and she will be experiencing some changes in her body. She had a miscarriage, and her body is now reacting to it."

"Oh you poor dear. Well of course you are coming home with us and it's time for your father and me to look after you."

"But what about my work at the paper?"

Christopher looked at her, "Ror, we will talk about that later. First we must get you well. Now why don't you explain why you needed a new phone."

"Dad, it's better this way. Now I no longer need to avoid calls from people who I do not wish to talk to."

Chris looked at her and thought back on how he got a new phone after he and Lorelai broke up for good the last time. He thought to himself, _"My little girl is a lot like me after all."_

Rory picked up her new phone and called everyone in the room to make sure they had her number. She was beginning to feel tired, so Christopher and Francine left. Before Paris left, she asked her if she could help her go to the bathroom. Tristan walked out of the room and stood at the nurse's station talking to Maggie and Arial.

"Maggie, see if you can get PT to come up here and start evaluating Miss Gilmore. She needs to be walking around," Tristan said.

"Okay Doc, I think Nolan is on today."

"Perfect, see when he is free."

Paris helped Rory into the bathroom.

"Hey, so who was the baby daddy?"

Rory looked at Paris and didn't say anything.

"Rory, No. I thought that you two broke up?"

"We did, but we reconnected a year in a half ago in Hamburg at a conference."

"What happened? You have always been careful."

"Well I switched in January to an IUD because the doctor I went to was concerned that I had been on the pill since I was 16. However, the IUD,I guess is not that safe."

"It is if you use a condom too. Wait don't tell me he wouldn't use one."

Rory looked away when she said that. Rory then continued to talk to Paris, "We broke up in May when he came and surprised me in late August. I broke it up for good then.."

She helped Rory put on a clean pad then helped her back into her bed.

"Did Lane bring you a nightgown?" she asked her.

"I'm not sure but I usually sleep in my old Yale T-shirt and sweatpants."

Paris found those items in the closet with a suitcase that Lane had dropped off last night. She helped her change, so she wouldn't need to wear the hospital gown.

"At least you're covered now when visitors come. I will stop by later with a robe and a gown for you."

"You don't need too, I am fine," Rory protested.

"No, it's the least I can do. And Rory, be careful."

"What do you mean?"

"I see the way you and Tristan look at each other."

Just then Tristan came back into the room.

"It doesn't take a nurse that long to help a patient go to the bathroom," he told Paris.

"We were talking. Paris and I haven't had a chance to talk much since she became a doctor. I guess I had almost had to die before we could see each other again," Rory teased.

"Okay, I will be back. I have rounds today. Are you going to be hanging out here on your day off, Doc?" Paris asked slipping in the nickname that everyone used with Tristan.

Tristan just smirked and smiled, "Depends on our patient."

Rory blushed and leaned her head back on the pillow. Paris said goodbye and Tristan sat in the chair beside the bed, the one he slept in last night.

"Later today we will get you in this recliner, it is pretty comfortable," he said.

Rory laughed, "Okay, I guess I need to forward my number to people. Tris will you stay while I call my mother?"

"Sure, but don't you want privacy?"

"No, I am going to tell her that I dropped my phone and broke it and that's why I have a new phone and number."

Rory called her mother who answered after the fifth ring, "Bridal Suite, bride and groom don't want to be interrupted," she said into the phone and then she heard giggling, it was her mother's voicemail.

'Mom, it's Rory. It was a false alarm. This is my new number I broke my phone. I replaced all three phones because I can get great reception now on this new phone, so I no longer need multiple phones. Here is the new number. 1 555-731-0909. Call me later."

She hung up and sighed. He grinned. "Smooth Mary. I didn't know you can lie so well."

"It wasn't a lie." She said as the corners of her mouth began to twitch.

"Well sometimes you have to stretch the truth." This time she beamed at him.

He took her hand in his and said, "I know. Do you want to talk about last night?"

"What about last night?"

"You were pretty upset, I am here, I am a good listener."

Rory sighed and wondered if she could pour her heart out to him. She needed to talk to someone that wouldn't judge her. She wondered if he would be like that.

She then looked into his deep blue eyes.

They looked trusting, so she said, "Have you ever been so blind, and that you trusted someone with your heart and all they did was break it?"

"I take it this happened more than once?"

"Yes, he did it more than once."

"So that's the reason for the new phone?"

"Yes. I can't go through this anymore. The hoping that he would change and pick me or not cheat. I gave him my heart but all he did was break it."

"I understand."

He took her hand up to his mouth and gently kissed her fingers. She looked down and then looked at him. He felt that he might have said or done something wrong, so he said, "Okay let's talk about something else. I have Nolan, from OT, to evaluate you this afternoon and get you up so you can go home tomorrow." She gave him a smile.

He smiled back at her and continued to rub his thumb on the back of her hand. He then quietly said, "Tell me what you would like to eat for lunch, my treat."

"How about Thai food."

"Good choice. I know a good restaurant and I will be back in thirty minutes. So why don't you rest until I get back."

She smiled as she watched him leave. She turned on the television and watched the show called Doctors. During the commercial she found that she dozed off and dreamt about Tristan. They were back at Chilton and this time he was making out with her in front of her locker.

When Tristan returned she was walking back from the bathroom with Arial's help. He set the Thai food on the tray. Pulling up the chair beside her bed he sat down, and they both began to talk while they shared the food. She told him about what she had been doing since her return from London in the spring. Soon the discussion was about Jess Mariano..

"Jess wants me to write some articles, he has an idea and thinks it would be great, but I'm not sure."

"You told me that Jess wrote a book, right? So I would imagine that he should know what people like to read about."

"Yes, Jess has written three books and his publishing company is doing very well."

"Tell me more about Jess. Why did I never meet him?"

"Because you both left around the same time. He went to California and you went to military school."

"And you were supposed to go to Harvard. By the way, what happened between you and Dean?"

"Dean and I broke up and I got accepted at Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. So I visited Harvard the weekend my mom was supposed to marry Max. Then Dean ended up marrying Lindsay and then we had an affair."

"Wait, what? Who is Max? Why didn't she marry him? And you and Dean had an affair? Mare. Did I miss all that? I leave, and you fall apart." He smirked letting her know that he was teasing.

"Max our English teacher at Chilton."

"Mr. Medina? Was your mom going to marry him? What happened?"

"Rory started laughing, that is a long story. Anyway I went to Yale because I fell in love with the campus and because my grandfather was a bulldog." Her eyes began to tear up.

"Oh I am sorry about your grandfather, Ror, he died a month before my grandfather. I was away in basic training when your grandfather died. My parents told me and I wasn't able to get back for it."

"Basic training?"

"Yes, I joined the Naval Reserves so that my medical school is paid for. Funny though after my grandfather died, I never needed to worry about money again."

"What do you mean?"

"I inherited my grandfather's wealth. My parents now work for me. Isn't that a twist of fate."

Rory started to laugh but it hurt so she couldn't, so she teased, "Another rich trust fund man. And to think my mother moved away from Hartford so that I wouldn't grow up with that life."

"Hey, I still remember going to your sixteenth birthday party at their house. You didn't want me to be there."

"No, You didn't want to be there. You told me that your mother made you come and give me a gift."

"Ahh but that's where you are wrong Mary, I did want to be there. I wanted to get to know you better. So what do you say, sixteen years later, can we finally get to know each other?"

She took his hand in hers and squeezed it. "Yes I think we can."

"And will you tell me all about you and Dean?" he teased.

"No, that was another one of my mistakes," she said with a grin on her lips.

"I hope you never think that I will be a mistake," he whispered to her and gently kissed her forehead.

"No" she whispered back. 


	6. Chapter 5 Safe Haven

**Chapter 5** **Safe Haven**

Rory was released from the hospital the next morning. Before she left Nolan, the head Physical Therapist came and evaluated her. He and Rory discussed what was needed, and they decided that Krissi, his partner, would come to her home and work with her instead of having her return to the hospital since she wasn't allowed to drive. Christopher came to pick her up, and by noon she was at her grandmother's house sitting in her new bedroom. The guest bedroom on the first floor was set up for her, and not long after, Lane and Zac arrived bringing her more of her clothes and books. Once she was comfortable in the room, she decided to call Jess.

"Truncheon Books, Jess Mariano speaking."

"Jess, it's me. I got a new phone, and I wanted you to have the number."

"Hi Rory. I've been worried about you. I called Paris this morning and she told me that you are staying at your father's home in Hartford."

"Yes, I'm staying here for the next six to eight weeks. Are you still coming up?"

"Yes, if I'm not there by Wednesday evening then I'll be there by Thursday. Is this your new number?"

"Yes, you can get rid of the other phone numbers. I am down to one phone."

"Thanks, Ror, can I call you back?. Matt just walked into my office. I'm glad you are out of the hospital. I promise that I'll call you later."

Rory said goodbye and pulled the blankets up over her shoulder; she cuddled in the comfortable king size bed, but the bed felt big and lonely. She thought of the king size bed that she had shared with Logan. How he would hold her in his arms, kiss her, telling her how much he loved her. Then she remembered why she was here alone. Words were one thing, but action speaks louder than words, but his recent decision of staying engaged to the French Heiress proved to her that his love for her meant nothing, empty, meaningless words. Rory now knew that she was right to change her number and in her heart, she knew she needed to forget about him for her to heal. Would she ever find someone, or would she be like her mother bouncing from one man to another not knowing that someone was there waiting for her?

Rory had fallen asleep and woke with a start when her grandmother, Francine, knocked at her door.

"Rory are you up for some company?"

She rolled over and said, "I am not sure. Who is it?"

"It's your doctor friend, Janlan's grandson."

"Tristan? I look awful, uh, can you tell him just a moment? Mmm, grandma, I hate to ask you this, but I need to go to the bathroom. Do you think Eunice, your maid could help me?"

"I just sent her to the market. Wait here dear. I will get your grandfather's walker and maybe with that I could help you get into the bathroom."

Rory was wearing her father's old Princeton sweatpants that he gave her to wear and Logan's old Yale t-shirt that she loved to wear. She didn't understand why she kept it except that it was big and comfortable. She didn't want Tristan to see her wearing this, so she decided to change. She grabbed a pink long sleeve crew neck pullover that Lane had brought and slipped into a pair of yoga pants that were also in the suitcase.

Rory smooth her hair out of her face and quickly pulled it back. Looking at the bedside table, she found the hair tie that she had used before and pulled her hair in a messy bun. The door opened, and instead of it being her grandmother it was Tristan.

"I told Grandma to have you wait."

"Well there is no reason for your grandmother to go searching for an unsafe walker when I can lift you up like this," he said lifting her up, " and carry you into the bathroom."

"Tris this is embarrassing."

Tristan held her in a bridal carry and watching her blush his eyes lit up, as the corner of his mouth turned up into a sexy smirk.

"Rory, I am a doctor, and there should be nothing embarrassing about me helping you. Come on."

She placed her arms around his neck and he carried her down the hall to the large bathroom. He carefully put her down on the floor, and she grabbed onto the sink for support as she walked toward the toilet.

"Um Tristan, I need another sanitary pad, and they are in the bedroom. Would you mind getting me the package? You can find it beside my suitcase on the floor."

He smiled at her and said, "See now that wasn't so embarrassing. It's okay to ask for help, Rory."

She turned a few different shades of pink as he left the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror taking some deep breaths. Rory felt a little dizzy from the pain that she had standing straight, so she closed her eyes for a moment. Tristan walked in and handed her the package of pads and immediately he noticed how pale she looked. He walked beside her and with his voice laced with concern he asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yes. I need a moment to catch my breath." Rory stood still willing herself to keep her breathing steady.

He stood beside her ready to catch her if she fell. Finally, she took in one big breath and opened her eyes. She noticed him watching her in the mirror. He looked frightened.

She smiled back at his reflection trying to reassure him.

"I'm okay. Do you think I can have some privacy?"

"Oh yes, of course." He walked out shutting the door behind him. He hesitated but then walked down the hall to the kitchen.

"Is she okay?" Francine asked Tristan.

"She looks a little pale, how long has she been sleeping?"

Francine glanced up at the clock that was hanging up on the wall in the kitchen.

"It is four pm now, I think for about three hours."

"Has she had anything to eat?"

"Not that I know of."

"Mrs. Hayden, would you mind fixing her some soup? She needs a lot of fluids and food. I am going to go back and check on her now."

Tristan knocked at the door. "Rory are you okay?"

She didn't answer.

"Rory?"

He quickly opened the door and found her passed out on the bathroom floor. Tristan promptly lifted her up and carried her back to her bedroom gently placing her on the bed, calling out to Francine.

"Mrs. Hayden? Rory passed out. Could you come in here?"

Francine rushed into the room followed by Gigi who just walked into the house from school.

"Grandma what is wrong with Rory?" she asked concerned.

"I'm not sure dear," she responded anxiously to her granddaughter.

Gigi looked at Tristan who was putting a wet cloth on Rory's forehead.

"Who are you?" Gigi asked him.

"I am Dr. Dugray. Could you go into the kitchen and get a glass of water for her?"

Gigi turned and quickly went out to the kitchen and filled a glass with cold water. Quickly returning with the water, she handed it to Tristan.

"Thank you," he said and placed it on the bedside table. He watched as Rory's eyes begin to flutter open.

Rory looked at Tristan with her brows knitted. She looked around the room confused.

He gently smiled at her, "Hey feeling a bit better?"

She turned her head on her pillow, how did she get here and why were Gigi and her grandmother standing at the end of her bed looking frightened.

"You passed out," he told her and helped her move up in the bed in a sitting position.

"Here, take a sip of water," handing her the glass he placed his hand gently behind her neck and helped her take a sip.

"Thank you. How did I get here? The last thing I remember is pulling up my pants and flushing the toilet."

"I knocked on the door, and when you didn't respond, I opened up the bathroom door and found you lying on the floor. So I carried you into your bed. Rory, when was the last time you ate?"

"Maybe yesterday? I'm not hungry," she whined.

"Now that is funny because I remember you eating a big lunch whenever I saw you in the cafeteria at Chilton. You always amazed me what you could eat and stay so slender."

Rory looked at him and grinned. Her memory flashed to the cafeteria and seeing him there always with a group of people as she sat alone, every once and awhile their eyes meeting. Those steel blue eyes still twinkled with mischief as he looked at her.

"Come on, Doctor's orders. Let me carry you to the couch and see if we can get some food in you. Your blood sugar is low, and you are still bleeding."

"Did you become a doctor so that you could order people around?"

"That and to be able to carry beautiful patients around in my arms." He told her with his mischievous grin.

She took another sip of water and reached up putting her arms around his neck again letting him lift her up and carry her to the leather couch in the family room. This time she looked carefully at his handsome, clean-shaven face with the pointed chin and narrow lips that she remembered kissing so long ago. A memory resurfaced of how it felt pressing her lips against his and how she liked it. She suddenly blushed and was grateful that they were now in the family room. He gently placed her on the couch and Gigi appeared with some pillows from the spare bedroom and propped them up behind her. She left the room and then returned with a quilt from her bedroom.

"Here, you can use this."

Gigi helped arrange the quilt around her sister. Tristan stood back and watched her little sister fuss around her. Francine came out of the kitchen carrying a tray with some soup and a bowl of fruit for her.

"Now young lady I want to see you eat everything up. I have the kettle boiling to make you a cup of tea. Tristan, can I get you anything to eat?"

"That soup smells delicious. I wouldn't mind having some if it weren't too much of a problem."

"No not at all stay right here and keep Rory company. I will bring you out a bowl. Gigi why don't you come with me dear, Eunice will be home soon and will need help with the groceries."

Tristan smiled at Rory and tilted his head back squinting his eyes at her. She looked at his face again and thought once more about those lips against hers.

"You're not eating your soup."

"I know, I'm not very hungry."

"What if I feed you?"

"You wouldn't dare."

"Oh wouldn't I?" he moved to the couch and sat beside her and put the spoon in the soup and brought it up to her lips and said, "Open wide. Good girl. Now let me see you do it?"

"I'm not a baby," she said and took the spoon from him before putting it into the bowl of soup. She then took another spoonful of soup. It was delicious, and it seemed to settle her stomach. Her face clouded as he watched her eat.

"Hey," he said putting his thumb under her chin. " You will be okay."

She felt this massive ache in her stomach and her heart. She had thought that if she slept that ache would go away. She looked up into his face that expressed concern and gave him a weak smile.

Francine entered the room with Tristan's soup and set it on a tv tray beside him. She smiled as she saw him gently rubbing Rory's legs.

"Thank you," he told her sitting up and looking at Rory's grandmother.

"I will be in the kitchen if you need anything." She then gently put her hand on Rory's shoulder and squeezed it.

"Rory, you can stay here as long as you need to dear. Take all the time you need to heal."

"Thank you, grandma," she told her and grabbed her hand before she left the room.

"Please tell Eunice that the soup is delicious."

Francine smiled at her and Tristan before leaving the room.

Rory ate another spoonful then she put the spoon down giving a little sigh.

Tristan was enjoying his bowl of soup and turned to look at her, "Why did you stop? You haven't finished eating the soup."

"I am not very hungry. Plus my stomach is sore."

Tristan looked concerned when she said that, and he got up from his chair. He sat down beside her on the leather couch and gently pressed her stomach which was distended.

"When was the last time you went to the bathroom?"

"I don't remember."

"Okay, I need to write you a prescription and have your grandmother or father fill it. I will be right back."

Instead of getting his prescription pad, he walked into the kitchen and asked Mrs. Hayden what pharmacy she used. She told him, and he then called the pharmacy and ordered a prescription for a laxative for Rory.

"Mrs. Hayden, I will be right back. I am going to pick up a prescription for her. I am also going to get some prune juice for her and some Metamucil. I want you to add it to her drink if she doesn't drink the prune juice. See if you can get her to drink some water too."

"Oh dear, that poor girl, no wonder she is in so much pain," Francine said.

Francine went back into the family room and turned on the television for Rory. She adjusted her and sat beside her reminding her to drink water as Rory laid down to watch the silly show on the tv. She closed her eyes and fell back into a deep sleep.

Christopher came into the house not long after Tristan left. He heard the television on in the family room and walked in. Seeing his mother sitting beside Rory knitting, he smiled.

"Hey, how is she doing?"

"Not good, it was a good thing that young Doctor Dugray was here. She passed out in the bathroom. He left to pick up a prescription for her. Christopher, I am worried about her."

"I know, and I am worried too."

"After you left, I heard her crying again in the bedroom. Should I call Emily?"

"No, mom that would be worse. I wouldn't be surprised if she never tells Emily what happened. Mom, it's up to us to help her get through this. Rory is strong like Lorelai, I know that she will be okay."

Logan, Finn, Robert, and Colin were still hung over the next day from their drinking the night before. Colin, Finn, and Robert were not interested in any of the women they met at the local bars; however, Logan brought home a beautiful raven-haired woman who left in the early morning hours.

It was one o'clock in the afternoon where Finn and Robert were both relaxing at the infinity pool. Robert sat by the pool drinking and thinking about Rory. Where was she, he wondered. Was she in a hospital somewhere

"Finn?"

"Yeah," Finn responded as he sipped his drink reclining on a red and yellow lounge as he floated around the infinity pool that was tied by a long rope at the side near the diving board.

"Did you try calling her again?" Robert asked.

"Yeah mate, and I get the same recording that the number you have reached is no longer a working number."

"What do you think happened?"

"I think she doesn't want to be found, gentlemen," Logan said walking out of the house with a drink in his hand followed by Colin.

"Come on guys; it's a beautiful day? Why are we wasting it here at the villa?"

Looking at his friends, Logan said with enthusiasm,"Let's go snorkeling,"

"I'm fine with that, Mate. Let me call down and have them get the boat ready."

Finn rolled off the lounge and sunk into the pool only to appear at the other end after swimming the length under water. The pool lounge and his drink floated peacefully at the other end by the diving board. He pulled himself out of the water dripping as he grabbed a towel and quickly dried off his toned muscular body. He wrapped the towel around his waist and padded into the house. Finn lifted his cell phone off the charger in the kitchen and called down to the docks where his family kept their boats. He ordered a boat to be ready in twenty minutes so that they could go snorkeling. He then returned to the patio to tell them of the plans.

Robert, Colin, and Logan were sitting around the bar by the pool talking about Rory.

"Logan, you are not concerned that she might be lying in the hospital somewhere very ill?" Robert asked him as his faced scowled and wondered why Logan was so carefree about this.

"I would be lying if I said that I was not concerned. Of course, I am concerned, but what I am going to do? She is not answering any of the phone numbers that I have, and neither is her mother. Colin has been calling my contacts, so my father won't know that I'm checking hospitals around Hartford for her. Colin, you know that I love her. I don't want to marry Odette, but Rory doesn't want me. I offered her a house in Maine. A place where she could write her novel, a place just for the two of us to be together."

"Logan, what's wrong with you! Rory is not going to settle on being your side piece, your hidden lover. She has too much self-respect. I'm surprised you would even consider that," Colin said to him.

Robert scowled at him and said, " Don't you understand that's why she said no to you? She knew your family didn't like her. Which confuses me because when my parents met her, they were quite taken by her."

"Your parents met her Robert? When did this happen? Why didn't I know that?"

"It doesn't matter," Robert said, and he turned and dove into the pool.

Logan was confused, he looked out into the horizon. He lifted his glass and swallowed his drink.

Logan took a deep breath, and sighed, "You're right, Colin. Let's leave tomorrow. I don't need to return to London until Friday; we can take a detour to Hartford. We can use Finn's plane and land in Hartford and check around there and Stars Hollow before we go back to New York. I can always tell my father I hitched a ride back to Manhattan with you guys on the private jet before taking the plane to Heathrow from Kennedy," Logan said to Colin.

Colin sat there quietly not responding. He turned when Finn put his hand on his shoulder when he walked out. He had overheard the whole conversation when he returned to the patio where the infinity pool was.

Trying to make light of the situation Finn cheerily said, "Gentleman why so glum? It's a beautiful day. The boat is ready to go, or have you changed your plans?"

"No, the plans haven't changed. Let's get some snorkeling or scuba diving. Then we can come back, have a nice dinner and pack, " said Logan.

"Pack? And where are we going next?" Finn asked.

"Tomorrow we will go back to the states and see if we can find out where Rory is."


	7. Chapter 6 I Will Be Okay

**Chapter 6** **I will be okay**

Paris returned with Tristan when he called her on the way to the pharmacy telling her about the pain that Rory was having. Rory was surprised when she woke up and saw Tristan there.

"I can't believe they let you out without making sure you went to the bathroom," Paris muttered, as she assisted Rory into the bathroom and stayed with her while she used the medicine he prescribed.

"Paris, it's okay, I will be fine. It is a common mistake," she said trying to calm her down.

"Rory, I am worried about you. So please take this medicine daily, drink the prune juice or a hot cup of tea with the Metamucil in it and eat oatmeal or other food with fiber."

"Yes mom," she replied with a teasing smile on her face trying to calm Paris down.

Rory and Tristan smiled at her as they watched Paris cluck around her like a mother hen. Finally, when Paris left, Rory relaxed and so did Tristan. Christopher joined her and Tristan in the family room where she was lying on the couch.

"I have to go home now, but I will be back in a few days. Please remember to use the walker and to take your medicine," Tristan said as he stood up.

"I will make sure she does," Christopher assured him as he walked the young doctor to the door.

"Thank you for your concern over my daughter. Will she be okay?"

"Yes, she will heal, and it's no problem. I am glad I can help her." Tristan turned and walked out the door. Chris watched and realized that Tristan was treating his daughter differently than his other patients. He had a feeling that there was a special connection between the two of them.

Rory took the medicine that was prescribed for her for the next four days. She was walking around the house better using the walker that Tristan brought to her that he picked up from the hospital. She was beginning to feel like herself again and began to look forward to the visits from Paris and Tristan.

On the fifth day of being out of the hospital and staying at her father's, Rory finally called her mother.

"Hi mom, how's Fiji?" she said when she got a hold of them.

"Oh it is beautiful here, you would love it. So tell me what the doctor said. I have been worried about you."

"I'm fine; my doctor said it was a false positive due to the birth control that I had been on."

"Oh good, have you changed your birth control yet? Isn't Paris and OB-GYN? Maybe you should give her a call and ask her what you should take."

"Well, I am in the process of doing that. So tell me how much longer you will be there?"

They talked for fifteen minutes before Lorelai told her that she had to leave since they were on their way to breakfast when Rory called. There was a sixteen-hour time difference, and Rory had to remember that when she made the phone call. Rory hung up her phone and remembered that she forgot to tell her mother where she was now living. Well, she had another nine days before they returned. She would enjoy her time here before they came back

Krissi, the Physical Therapist from the hospital, arrived the next morning at nine am. After working for an hour with her, Rory walked without the walker with Krissi, and they sat together in the sunroom. Rory sighed, and tears began to drip out of the corner of her eyes. Krissi took her hand in hers and said, "Rory, I know this is hard, but I want you to know you can do this. Two years ago, I went through the same thing. It was devastating, and I lost one of my Fallopian tubes, but last year, I gave birth to twins."

She pulled out her phone and showed her a picture of two little redhead girls. "The emotions that you are feeling are normal. Your body is no longer pregnant, and the hormones are adjusting. That is why you are bleeding still. You recently had major surgery and lost a lot of blood."

"I know it's just that…"

"Dr. Dugray is an amazing surgeon; he has the finest reputation around. You were so lucky he was there to do your surgery, plus he is not too bad on the eyes, right?" she said as she bumped shoulders with her.

"Yes, I agree," she told her smiling.

Krissi checked her phone and smiled, "You did well today. I will be back next Wednesday. I need to get back to the hospital now. Continue doing the exercises and here is my number."

She quickly wrote down her phone number on a pad of paper and handed it to her. "Call me if you want to talk. Remember I went through this and I understand what you are going through."

"Thank you; I would walk you out but…"

"Don't. I understand. I will go and say goodbye to your grandmother."

Krissi stood up and squeezed her shoulder. She left leaving Rory sitting there in the sunroom. She moved to the wicker lounge chair and closed her eyes falling to sleep.

"Rory, dear. You have company."

She opened her eyes and looked up expecting to see Tristan. Instead, Dean was standing there with a bouquet of flowers.

"Hi, how are you feeling?" he said smiling shyly at her.

"Hi, better. I never had a chance to say thank you.'

"For what?"

"For being there and offering me a place to stay and comforting me."

"Ror, you are special, and you will always mean a lot to me. Um here, these are for you," he said softly as he handed her the flowers.

"Oh, they are beautiful. You remembered?"

"Yes, sunflowers. You used to like them."

"They are beautiful. It's such a pretty arrangement mixed with the mums and other fall colors."

"Dean, please sit down. Would you like something to drink?" she asked him taking the flowers from him she laid them beside her on the table.

Just then Eunice, her grandmother's maid, came in, "Can I get you and your friend some refreshment?" she asked them.

"I would like a cup of coffee, Dean?"

"Coffee for me too please," he told her.

"Miss, I will take these and put them in a vase for you and return them with your coffee."

"Thank you, Eunice," she said and smiled at her.

"Dean, we haven't seen each other in a long time. How long has it been?"

"Twelve years."

"Where have you been? How did you get into being an EMT?" she asked him.

"I started telling you when you were in the hospital, but you probably don't remember."

Embarrassed she looked down, "No I just remember being in a lot of pain and crying."

"After Lindsay and I divorced, I left Stars Hollow and moved back to Chicago where I went to school. I got my degree in business and joined the fire department out there where I became an EMT. I came back to this area a few years ago; I bought the Pub with two of my buddies. We work as EMTs during the day and run the pub at night. It's doing well, and most of the nurses, police, and members of the fire department hang out there."

"Business major? That's wonderful. I am happy for you; it seems like things worked out for you. I knew that you could do something great. Is there another Mrs. Foresters or little Foresters running around?"

"No, none," he chuckled.

"What did you do after Yale? Where have you been and what brought you back to Stars Hollow?" he asked her with his kind smile. She looked at his handsome face, he wore his hair longer now, it was neat and well-trimmed. He was no longer scrawny but very muscular and fit.

She thought back to that last day she saw him. They were having an affair, and he was leaning against his truck waiting for her to leave the party her grandparents gave her. She had been drinking and came out of the pool house late with the boys from Yale that her grandmother had invited to the party and was standing all around her. He looked at her and said, "I don't belong here, Rory." She remembered crying and then going back into the pool house and Finn kneeling in front of her saying, "Pick Me, I'm exotic." If only she had picked Finn. Maybe she wouldn't be in this predicament now.

The corners of her mouth turned up in a sad smile and said, " I graduated from Yale with a degree in journalism. After graduation, I joined the press corps for the Obama Campaign, and I was a reporter traveling around the country. When that ended, I started to write as a freelance reporter, but then the news format began to change. So right now I am looking at other types of writing options."

"Did you stop in Chicago?'

"Yes, I did, I was with the journalists there, one of the many in the crowd. Did you ever go to one of his speeches?"

"No I just watched him on TV, I worked a lot back then, plus taking classes at night."

"Why did you go to Chicago?"

"After we broke up and I divorced Lindsay, there was nothing left for me in either Stars Hollow or Hartford. My older sister and her husband lived there, so they encouraged me to come out there. My brother in law, Will, is in the fire department there and got me a job. I started college and worked at the station. I enjoyed working there. My parents moved from Hartford when Clara went to college. They now live in Florida."

"Where is Clara now?"

"She is a neonatal nurse at Hartford."

"That's wonderful."

"Yeah, I told her that I brought you into the hospital. She wanted to see you, but she got swamped upstairs and wasn't able to make it down to the surgical floor before you left."

"I would like to see her again."

"She would like to see you too."

Eunice came back with the flowers in a beautiful antique vase and coffee and brownies that she made for them. Rory thanked her, and she left. They both took their coffee, and she leaned back in her chair.

Dean cleared his throat and put his mug down.

"Ror, I hope this doesn't seem too forward, but I would like to take you out to dinner when you are feeling up to it."

She looked at him over her coffee cup, wondering what her mom or Luke would say. She hesitated and looked at his kind eyes smiling at him she said, "Yes. That would be nice. Dean, we are friends, right?"

"Friends yes." Deans phone buzzed, and he looked at it.

"Sorry Rory, I have to go. It seems like a delivery at the Pub came earlier and both Sam and Clay are on duty at the fire department. Can I call you?"

"Yes, oh Dean here is my new number. I got a new phone." She quickly wrote down her number on a piece of paper and handed it to him. Their fingers touched, and she smiled up at him. He took the piece of paper with her phone number on it and stuffed it in his pocket and then left.

Arriving at the Hartford Airport from the Dominican Republic, the boys got into the two-town cars that were waiting for them. Immediately they decided on a plan to find out where Rory was. There were eight possible hospitals where they could find her. So they divided them up figuring they would be able to find her faster.

Colin and Logan walked into St. Francis Hospital. Logan immediately asked if there was a patient named Lorelai Gilmore at the hospital or Rory Gilmore. They had no patient there with that name nor had they had a patient arrive there in the last few days. They then went to Mt. Sinai Hospital, and this time Logan used the Huntzberger name. One of the volunteers at the information desk knew his parents, and she was happy to help him. She made some phone calls and checked records, but she shook her head. No one named Lorelai Gilmore or Rory Gilmore was admitted. Walking out of the hospital Logan called Finn and Robert; they were on their way to Hartford hospital after checking at University Hospital in West Hartford.

"Any luck?" Logan asked Robert. Finn sat quietly staring out of the car window lost in his thoughts and wondering where she could be. She always would send him a message once a week, and he hadn't heard from her at all.

"No Rory or Lorelai Gilmore at University Hospital, we are on our way to Hartford Hospital now."

"Okay, we will meet you over there."

The four men arrived at the hospital main entrance within minutes of each other. The town cars parked out front and the men got out of their vehicles with their sunglasses on. They walked into the beautiful lobby of the Hartford Hospital. Paris, Cassandra, and Tristan were walking out of the Starbucks when Paris heard and recognized Finn's distinctive Australian accent.

"Well well well, Satan has returned," Paris said.

"Satan? What are you talking about?" Cassie asked.

"See that blonde in the expensive suit and shirt? That is Logan Huntzberger."

Tristan walked up behind them and said, "Is that the 2.0 version of me? Huh, He's nothing like me. He is much shorter. Should I go over and punch him?"

"Save it Doc; you can't ruin your hands. Cassie, I have an idea, take your hair down."

Cassie looked at her like she was crazy. "Why?" She asked her.

"I want to find out why they are here. They know me, and I can't go over there. So, I want you to go over there and smile sweetly. Those men are man whores; they will be kissing your feet as soon as you go there. Ask if you can help them and see what they want. We will be over here in the corner."

She led Tristan to a corner table, and she sat with her back to them. Tristan sat across from her watching the whole thing.

"Hello, you look lost. Can I help you?" Cassie smiled sweetly and flipped her hair over her shoulder when she walked up to them focusing on Logan.

Logan and Robert looked her up and down, and they both smiled. Logan then turned on his sexy smile and said, "Yes, I think you might be able to help us. I am Logan Huntzberger, and you are?" He extended his hand to hers.

"Hello Logan Huntzberger, call me Cass, how can I help you."

"Well, I was wondering if you could help us find my girlfriend. I have been out of the country, and I was informed that she went to the hospital, but I don't know which one."

"You lost your girlfriend?" Cassie said raising her eyebrows at him.

"No I didn't lose her, we fought, and then I heard from a friend that she was taken to a hospital. I have tried to call her, but for some reason, her phone is not working. I am worried about her."

"Oh, I understand. Was your girlfriend in a car accident?"

"I don't know,... "

Cassie took her phone out of her pocket, "Okay. Let me call someone."

Cassie quickly called Paris phone. Paris put it on speaker so that Tristan could hear.

"Hello, do you know if we have, what did you say your girlfriend's name was? Oh, a Rory Gilmore here in the hospital?"

"Give me the phone," Tristan said taking the phone from Paris.

"Cassie tell them no, no one by that name has been admitted in the last seven days," Tristan said glaring at the men.

Cassie turned to Logan said, "No one with that name has been admitted."

Logan asked her if he could take the phone and she handed it to him. Tristan saw this and took the phone from Paris.

"Hello, this is Logan Huntzberger, who am I speaking to."

Lying Tristan said, "This is Dr. Caswell how can I help you?"

"Hello, Dr. Caswell, my parents are patrons of this hospital, and I was wondering if you could help me."

"Certainly, Mr. Huntzberger."

"I am looking for a patient, she is my girlfriend, and I was informed that she went to the hospital a few days ago. I have been out of the country and rushed back as soon as I heard. Was she admitted to this hospital?"

"Her name?"

"Rory Gilmore, or Lorelai Gilmore?"

Tristan pretended to ask his secretary Paris if there was a Rory Gilmore or Lorelai Gilmore admitted to the hospital.

"No, we have no one by that name. Did you try New Haven? If she was in an accident, she might have been medivac down there."

"No I haven't. Thank you."

Logan handed back the phone to Cassie. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you. Listen, I must go and report back to my floor. Good luck gentlemen."

Logan had typed his phone number on her phone and said to her, "Just in case you hear anything about her, I put my number in your phone then you can call me." He then hit the button and called himself. "And now I have your number."

Tristan looked at the whole scene and shook his head. "I am not that arrogant."

"No, sometimes you are worse." Paris gave him a sarcastic grin.

Paris pager went off, and she got up and left Tristan sitting there. Tristan decided to get up and accidentally on purpose bump into them when he saw that they were heading his way. With his head down looking at his phone, he walked right into Logan.

"Excuse, me," Tristan said to him. Then looked Logan into his eyes and walked away.

Finn was standing in line at the coffee counter flirting with the barista.

"Do you know where there is a good Pub around here?" Finn asked the pretty barista.

"Yes, the Pigs Eye Pub. Best food and drinks around here."

"Now I wonder would a pretty little Sheila like you, frequent that spot?"

She smiled and said, "Yes, in fact, I will be there tonight, it's Trivia night."

"Well I just might need to stop by there," he winked and picked up his coffee.

"Where to now?" Finn asked the three guys.

"Let's try New Haven," Logan said as he looked around the lobby standing by the elevator when he spotted someone he knew.

"Come on follow me; I think that is Rory's old roommate Paris. She would know where she is."

They followed Paris on the blue elevator which was going to take them up to the surgical floor.

Paris looked up from her phone and saw Logan and his three goons walk on the elevator.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Logan Huntzberger and his three lost boys. Are you Still following Logan around boys? You haven't gotten your own life yet?" Paris said glaring at them. "What brings you here to my hospital?"

"Hello Paris, your hospital?"

"Yes I am a surgeon here, so how can I help you."

"I'm looking for Rory? You wouldn't know where she is would you?"

"No, haven't seen or heard from her in over two years. Why did you break her heart, Logan? I warned her about you, but she never listened to me. The last communication I got from her she was living in London with someone named Deedee. I wondered if she switched teams after being with you. She might have decided that girls were safer." Finn and Robert turned their heads and started to chuckle, and Colin began to cough trying to hide his laughter.

"Paris, Listen I heard she was brought to a hospital."

"Well not here. If Rory were here, I would have heard. Sorry Logan."

The light for the OB-GYN floor lit up, and the elevator pinged, the door slid open, and she got off. The four men followed her, and she turned and looked at them.

"I thought you were looking for Rory; you won't find her on this floor unless one of you recently bred and has a child here? Now if you will excuse me, I have a few patients I need to check on."

She walked through the doors into the Neonatal unit and left the men standing there.

"Well, she still is her pleasant self," Colin said watching her walk away.

"I guess nothing ever changes," Logan said and shook his head.

They got back on the elevator that they came up on and took it down to the main lobby where they then walked out to the town cars.

"Okay, let's head to New Haven and see if she was brought there. I think I remember that there are two hospitals on the campus. We will go to one of the hospitals, and Finn and Robert you go to the other one on campus. Call me if you hear anything."

Rory's phone rang after Dean had left, she looked down at the caller ID and noticed it was Tristan.

"Hi, how are you feeling?" he asked her as he walked to the surgical lounge.

"Better, Krissi came over today, and she was a big help. I walked to the sunroom without a walker."

"What are you doing now?"

"Sitting in the sunroom enjoying the sun."

"Good, listen I know that you are still healing, but I was wondering if you were feeling up to it if you would like to have dinner with me."

"I would like to get out of the house."

"Good, I am off at six today, would you mind if I stopped over? I would like to see you."

"I would like that." She smiled when she hung up the phone. She would like to see him again.

Her father was on a business trip to Boston, and she and her grandmother were there at the house. She slowly got up off the lounge and walked into the kitchen.

"Grandma?" she called.

"What is it dear."

"Would you mind if we had a guest for dinner?"

"No dear, I will tell Eunice to set an extra place."

Rory then walked down the hall to her bedroom where she found a three-quarter length sleeve, navy blue and white striped t-shirt dress that Lane had dropped off. She then gathered her clothes and went into the bathroom and took a shower. Standing in the shower letting the warm water run over her body, Rory began to feel better. She washed and rinsed her hair and stepped out of the shower. She carefully dried herself off and then slowly got dressed.

In this bathroom, there was a seat with a vanity. Rory sat down and took out the hair dryer that her grandmother had placed in the drawer on her right. She brushed out her hair and began to dry it. She used her large round brush and styled it. It felt so good to wear her hair down. She pulled out her makeup bag and added a bit of makeup and blush on her face. She then stood up and slipped the dress on. She had lace bikini panties on which didn't bother her incision. She walked back into the bedroom and put her yoga pants and sweatshirt in the hamper so that Eunice could wash them. She stepped out of her room and back into the kitchen. Her grandmother was sitting at the table reading the evening paper and drinking a cup of tea.

"Rory you look nice dear. Gigi will be home soon, come, sit down and have a cup of tea with me."

The four men in the two different town cars arrived in New Haven. Robert and Finn checked out the Yale-New Haven Hospital where they again were told that there was no record of a Lorelai Gilmore or a Rory Gilmore brought into that hospital in the last week. Colin and Logan had left the Yale-New Haven Hospital Saint Raphael Campus when Logan's phone rang.

"Logan, this Robert. Could she have gone to New York?"

"I'm not sure, are you sure they said that she went to a hospital? Do you know how?" He asked Robert on the phone.

"It sounded like someone brought her, they were talking about someone named Lane."

"Did you see her mother?"

"No, we didn't."

They drove back into Hartford, and Finn told the driver to stop at the Pigs Eye Pub. It was now eight o'clock, and it was busy. He called Logan telling them that he and Robert were going there to get something to eat and a pint.

Robert and Finn got out of the car and walked in. There was a lot of firemen here in their uniforms, off-duty police, EMTs, and nurses. Finn noticed the pretty barista that he flirted with and walked over to talk to her. Colin and Logan came in right behind them. Colin poked Logan when he saw Cassie talking to someone behind the bar and sitting beside two other pretty nurses.

Logan walked over to the bar with Colin and Robert following. There was a seat next to Cass opened, and Logan said, "Is this seat taken?"

Cass looked at him and rolled her eyes. Paris had filled her in later about who he was.

Dean came over and wiped down the counter, "What can I get for you gentlemen."

Logan looked around for Finn and spotted him at the end of the bar talking to the redheaded barista, "We will have three Macallan neat, and whatever that Aussie wants at the end of the bar, he is with us. Put it on my tab." He handed Dean his card. "Also get these three lovely ladies whatever they want?"

"Thank you, but no, we are finished," Cassie said politely and got off the bar stool and smiling at Dean she walked to the door. Logan watched her leave. He noticed a table in the corner and he, Colin and Robert went to sit down. Dean watched him, something was familiar about that man, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

A waitress came over and asked them if they wanted to eat. The men all ordered burgers, with fries and sat back. Logan sat back and thought about the way Rory looked when she told him it was over. She disappeared before, but this time it was different. He felt desperate, and he wanted to find her. His phone rang, and it was his father.

"Where the hell are you, Logan?"

"What's it to you? I took some time off."

"I need you to help me get those Hayden Publishing Companies. Are you anywhere on the east coast."

"Yes, I flew in with Finn this morning."

"Good I need you to go to Boston and meet with the CEO of the Hayden company and see if you can convince him to sell their three publishing houses to us. It's important."

"Really dad, you are still going after Straub Hayden? You know his widow hates you."

"Well she isn't as active anymore, and her son took over. Go and talk to him. See if you can convince him to sell to us."

"Fine, I will go to Boston tomorrow." 

Logan hung up his phone, "Okay guys, I am off to Boston tomorrow. I will rent a car. Where are you going to go next?"

"Heading back to the city, " both Robert and Colin said. "It's a wild goose chase here."

An attractive blonde walked in who was about twenty-four years old. She walked over to the bar and talked to the bartender, he smiled and handed her a drink. She then turned to Robert and smiled. Mac, Dean's partner went over to her and sat beside her. The two flirted with each other. The food came, and the men sat there eating their burgers when Finn joined them and ordered one too. Robert went over to the bar. He smiled at the pretty blonde and asked her name.

"Clara," she said, "Are you from this area?"

"No, I have a friend who lived not far away in Stars Hollow."

"Oh, that's funny. Who is your friend? I grew up in Stars Hollow and I probably know him."

"Her name is Rory, Rory Gilmore."

Clay came over with the drinks and handed him the tray with the four glasses on it. He heard Clara say, "This is a small world. I used to know Rory. She used to date my brother when they were in high school."

Mac was sitting beside her, and his head turned when he heard the guy mentioned Stars Hollow. He didn't say anything, then motioned for Clay to come over. He whispered,

"Tell Dean this guy is looking for Rory Gilmore." Clay nodded his head and walked over to the end of the bar where Dean was serving some of their firemen buddies.

"You wouldn't' happen to know if Rory Gilmore is still around, would you?" Robert smiled at the pretty blonde.

"Well.."

Dean came over and interrupted his sister, "Hi, Can I help you?"

"No, I was just talking to this pretty blonde, here."

"She's my sister. So what can I help you with."

"Oh, maybe you can help. We, my friends and I, are looking for Rory Gilmore and your sister said you used to date her."

"We did, a long time ago."

Dean looked over at the table, and suddenly he remembered why the men looked familiar. Especially the blond, he remembered seeing them standing around Rory at her Grandparents' house, she was wearing a blue dress, her hair all piled up, with the silly diamond tiara on her head. He never understood why she was wearing the tiara and looking like a princess. It was then that he knew that she really was a princess, but he didn't belong in that world. He was fooling himself.

"Why do you want Rory? She isn't around here anymore," he said feeling very protective of her.

"Oh, well we heard she was in the hospital, and her boyfriend over there was worried."

"No, I can't help you, here let me bring the drinks to your table."

Dean picked up the tray and walked over to their table. Robert followed him. Clara watched her brother wondering why he didn't tell them where Rory was.

'Logan looked up from his discussion with Finn and Colin and looked at Dean.

"Hi, thank you for bringing the drinks."

"Logan, this guy used to date Rory in high school."

Logan looked at him carefully; he then remembered a younger version of this man, skinnier then, leaning against a truck. But now this man was in shape, he had on the Pigs Ear t-shirt, and you could see his muscled forearms.

Logan stood up and extended his hand, "Logan Huntzberger, Hi. I am Rory's boyfriend. You wouldn't happen to know where she is?"

"No, I haven't seen her in twelve years. If she is your girlfriend why don't you know where she is? Did you fight?"

Logan bit his bottom lip and looked off in the distance.

"No, not a fight, a misunderstanding. I need to see her so that I can fix things with her. You wouldn't happen to know of anyone that might know where she is?"

"No, as I said, I haven't seen her in twelve years, and I haven't even heard that name in a long time."

"Okay, thanks," Logan said and sat down.

Dean walked back and said to his sister, "Clara, don't talk to them. Mac keep her occupied." He winked at Mac knowing that he had a crush on Clara. He hoped that the wink gave him the go-ahead to take her home and start dating. He didn't want to think of his kid sister dating one of his friends, but he would rather have her date him than that wolf that was asking about Rory. He needed to talk to Rory and let her know that her ex is here in Hartford.

Dean walked back into his office and called Rory.

Rory and Tristan are sitting in the sunroom beside each other on the wicker loveseat having coffee and chocolate brownies that Eunice had made. Her phone was sitting on the end table beside her when it buzzed. She looked at the number and raised her eyebrows.

"Tristan, do you mind if I answer this?"

"No, go ahead. Do you want me to leave?"

"No, please stay," she asked him gently touching his thigh. She felt a shock and looked at him. He felt it too, and he smiled at her putting his arm behind her on the back of the couch. She leaned back and rested her head on his arm. He then put his face in her hair and smiled inhaling the citrus scent of her shampoo.

"Hello?"

"Hey Rory, this is Dean. I hope this isn't a bad time to call."

"No it's fine," she replied. Tristan could hear the conversation, and he raised his eyebrows and listened.

"Listen, your ex, is his name Logan Huntzberger?"

"Yes, how did you know that?"

"He is here in my Pub with his three friends asking people about you."

"Here in Hartford? Please don't tell him where I am."

"I won't. I told him I hadn't seen you in twelve years."

"Thanks, Dean,"

"Rory, will he come to your grandmother's house?"

"No not this one, he never knew that Francine and Straub Hayden were my grandparents. He might go to Grandma Gilmore's home, but she is with her friend Jack in Nantucket, right now, so her home is empty. Thanks again Dean for watching over me."

"I told you, that's what I want to do. I will call you about those dinner plans."

"Okay."

She hung up the phone and placed it on the table. She leaned back against the cushions of the wicker furniture and felt Tristan playing with her hair.

"Is everything okay?"

She turned to him and looked at his handsome face. She gazed at his strong angular face with the five o'clock shadow that she longed to touch and feel against her fingertips. She stared into his squinty icy blue eyes and wondered if she would cry if she kissed those perfect thin lips, but she held herself back. She brought her eyes back up to his face and shook her head.

"Umm no. It seems that someone is looking for me."

"Logan Huntzberger?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

"I heard his name mentioned. Tell me, this Logan Huntzberger; blonde 5'9" wears expensive clothes likes to throw his name around? My 2.0?"

Rory started to laugh, "You've been talking to Paris. She told me that I had a thing for trust fund babies. Paris never liked him."

"She never liked me either,"

"No Tristan she liked you, she liked you a lot, and it seems that you two are friends now."

"Friends, no more like competitors and confidants."

"Did you two ever hook up?"

"No, she's not my type. She wasn't my type when we were in high school either, remember."

His mouth turned up in his mischievous smile when he said that to her.

"So what is your type?" she asked him studying his face and smiling.

"I know your type," he said tracing his finger down her cheek across her jawline.

"Oh, you do?"

"Yes, rich trust fund boys who are now men and are very wealthy."

"No, not anymore."

"Really, so what is your type?"

"I will tell you mine if you tell me yours, but how do you know how tall Logan Huntzberger is?"

"He came into the hospital today looking for a patient named Rory Gilmore or Lorelai Gilmore. It's a good thing your insurance card had Lorelai Leigh Hayden on it. Or he would have found you."

"Oh that's right it does. I am under my dad's health insurance since I didn't have any as a freelance journalist. Dad offered to help out with that."

Tristan was gently wrapping her hair around his fingers and gazing down at her. He lifted his chin and looked into her large blue eyes.

"My type," he began, " Is a beautiful, strong, intelligent, witty, shy, caring, thoughtful, blue-eyed woman with long chestnut brown hair," he whispered in her ear bringing his face close to her.

She looked at him, and their lips were close. She could feel his warm breath. Did she dare kiss him? If she did would she cry and run away?

"What is your type?"

"Oh my type," she brought her hand up towards his face, and she gently ran the palm of her hand across his cheek feeling the beard that was starting. It wasn't itchy but soft.

"My type is strong, smart, confident, gentle, caring, honest, and knows how to respect me."

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, then she flicked out her tongue and wet her lips.

He knew he had to kiss her and gently leaned towards her.

"Mare, I hope you don't think this is unprofessional, but I am going to kiss you know."

"Okay."

She leaned in, and they kissed. Tristan's lips were soft and tender. He gently brushed them against hers. She felt an instant spark when their lips touched. Their lips connected slightly unsure of what was to come next. Tristan pauses and looks at her waiting for permission to continue. Rory leans forward and kisses him again, she responds to his lip, and she feels something different than she has ever felt before.

He moves away and put his forehead against hers, "Are you going to start crying and run away?"

She smiles and shakes her head. "No, not this time."

"Good," he whispers huskily in her ear. Just then his pager goes off. He closes his eyes and then pulls away. He looks down. It's the hospital, and he reaches over and gets his phone out.

"Dr. Dugray, yeah, ETA? Fine Yes I can make it in. Who else is on call? Good, tell Dr. Evans that I will be there."

"You have to go." she didn't ask the question she knew the answer.

"Yes, there is an emergency. A car accident. The medivac is bringing them in."

She slowly got up, and he put his arm around her shoulder as they walked to the door. She handed him the jacket he was wearing since it was November and getting cold. The sunroom that her grandmother had added was heated, and she liked going out there. It looked out over the garden and had the most beautiful view in the evening of the sunset since it faced the west.

They walked into the family room, and he said goodnight to Gigi and Francine who were watching the Big Bang Theory on the television.

"Thank you for the wonderful dinner. It is good to eat something other than hospital food."

"Please come back and visit again, Tristan. It was nice having you here, isn't it Rory?"

"Yes, Grandma it is nice having him here."

She walked him to the door.

"Thank you for inviting me for dinner."

"Thank you for coming over and taking care of me."

He moved a strand of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. He then gently caressed the side of her cheek with the back of his hand.

"So soft," he whispered and then gently brushed his lips against her. Rory wanted to pull him in. She felt a twinge in her core, and she gasped.

"What is it? Are you okay?"

"Yes, it was nothing," blushing she replied.

He kissed her lips again and then stepped away.

"Good night," she said.

She closed the door and leaned against it, wrapping her hands around her waist. She needs to call Paris or her mother. But she can't call either one of them. Wow, who would have thought that Bible Boy could grow up to be such a handsome, atheletic, and sensitive doctor? She walked back to her room smiling to herself and thinking about the kiss from her Bible Boy.


	8. Chapter 7 Complications

**Chapter 7 Complications**

Jess took the 7:15 am train from Philadelphia to Hartford, since it was a four-hour trip he would arrive around noon and go directly to the Hayden home to see Rory. Jess was now a successful author as well as part owner of a successful publishing company in Philadelphia, called Truncheon Books. Jess began working at this publishing company when he returned from California. In the nine years that Jess has lived and worked in Philadelphia, he was able to write, several books and became part owner of the company.

The Subsect series of books he wrote were now in their third printing, along with being on Amazon and offered as a digital novel. He had a large following on Amazon and there was an interest in his next book. There were even rumors going around that some Hollywood producer was interested in making his book the Subsect into a movie or television series.

The latest novel "Diner Man" was his Uncle Luke's story. He sat back on the train and thought about his Uncle Luke and how he stayed in Stars Hollow converting the hardware store to a successful diner but keeping his heart locked up until he met Lorelai and Rory.

Jess decided to work with a different publishing company and sent it to Hayden Holdings since they had offices in both London and the US. The first half of the book was at the editors now. Jess had no idea that Hayden in the name of this Publishing Company happened to be Rory's family's company. Jess had only known Rory as Rory Gilmore and had no clue to her father's last name nor did he care.

He opened his iPad and tapped the app for his word document. Twelve years ago. when Jess wrote his first book he used a journal that he kept in his back pocket, now that he was successful, Jess used a tablet or his phone and typing it in Google documents to organize his thoughts and stories. He quickly fixed the page he was working on .

Even with all of his success, Jess life was not complete. He hesitated to become involved with anyone. Jess was afraid to let anyone into his life remembering his childhood and having his father abandoned him at a young age. Even though his mother had remarried and had another child, a sister he adored, he still was afraid to show anyone any commitment. The reason why Jess chose to write the story, Diner Man, was he hoped he could understand his Uncle Luke's relationship with women, since he often identified with Luke. Then, maybe he could move on and find someone to love too.

Jess closed the app for the word document and hit the app for his iTunes collection. He closed his eyes, listening to music, he thought about his relationship with Rory. After Rory broke up with Logan the first time, she became a reporter, she found herself reaching out to Jess. She was working as a reporter on the Obama Campaign for a few months when she found herself in Philadelphia on July 5th, where Obama was speaking to the National Education Association Annual Meeting. Jess had spent the 4th of July with his best friends and partners, Chris and Matt, at a picnic at Matt's girlfriends' home on the waterfront. That morning he had gotten up early to work on his second book. Jess was upstairs in his apartment at Truncheon Books when he heard a knock on the back door that led to his private apartment. He looked out his window and saw Rory standing there with her brown hair pulled into a ponytail. Running down the stairs he opened the door. Rory's face lit up with a smile, her blue eyes twinkling with happiness when he appeared at the doorway.

"Dodger, I hope I am not intruding."

Immediately Jess pulled her in for an embrace. It had been over a year since they had seen each other and he was happy that she stopped by.

"Rory, it is so good to see you," he stepped away and held her hand looking at her. She looked good, happy.

"Let's go upstairs. What are you doing here in Philly? The last I spoke to Luke you were out west?" Walking up the stairs to his small apartment together Rory explained why she was there in Philadelphia.

"The press corp followed Obama to Philadelphia to cover Obama's speech yesterday. We don't leave until tomorrow, and I had some time so I thought I would see if you were home. Maybe show me the sites and get some coffee? It has been such a long time since I have had a good cup of coffee."

Jess laughed and immediately poured her some of the coffee he just made from his secret stash of Luke's blend. She sighed when she took her first sip.

"Jess where have you been all my life?" she teased.

Laughing at her, Jess smiled and said, "Right here, working. How about you?"

They spent the day together site seeing and catching up. When he finally brought her back to her hotel, they exchanged phone numbers and promised that they would call each other often. This time when they kissed they both knew that there wasn't anything magical between them. Jess and Rory began a new relationship. The young crush and flirtation they had were no longer there. Instead, they became best friends, sharing everything except their personal love life.

During her work on the Obama Campaign, they stayed in touch, calling each other twice a week, usually in the evening. Jess began to date a few different women but nothing ever interested him. When Obama won the election, Rory quit the press corps and tried her hand as a field and freelance reporter. Her mother and grandparents were very proud of her, and she never let them know how difficult it was, only confessing to Jess how unhappy she was with all the traveling she did. Other than mentioning an occasional date they had, they had an unspoken agreement about not sharing information about their dating habits. That was why Jess never knew that Rory had been secretly meeting Logan and emptying out her saving, account flying to London so often. Spending all this time with Logan Rory's work and financial situation suffered. She was no longer focusing on her writing career, and it showed. The job offers she received were dwindling, and she refused to take any help from Logan. Instead, they kept their relationship casual, a Vegas relationship, she called it. They both agreed to this because neither of them wanted to admit that they were still in love with each other.

Jess had been worried about her these last few months. Luke had called Jess telling him how Rory suddenly appeared in Stars Hollow. She now began to stay longer than her occasional few weeks, flitting back and forth to Manhattan but taking the train back in the evening. Rory did not renew her lease for her apartment in the city. She appeared distracted, not as confident as she had been the year before. When Luke confessed to Jess, before the wedding, that Rory had moved back into the Crap Shack and took a job at the Star Hollow Gazette, he became apprehensive. Jess did not like the idea that Rory was working for nothing at the Stars Hollow Gazette. He hoped that when they finally got together, they would be able to sit down and talk, he would find out why she took this job and maybe helped her find something else to do. He wondered what had happened to her flat that she shared with another reporter called Dee Dee. It seemed to end, and she never told him why. Jess was concerned that she was living like a gypsy. This behavior was not typical of the Rory he knew. Recently she had boxes of her belongings shipped to many different homes including his. He even had three large cartons of books that she had sent to his house in May.

Worried about her, Jess sat down with Matt and Chris, and the three of them came up with a few ideas on how to restart Rory's career. One was to write short stories about her life and start a Blog. The other was to do some research and report for a digital and print magazine that they were starting. Jess's partners, Chris and Matt realized immediately how the digital world impacted the written word and the publishing. Everyone now was using the internet, laptops or their tablets to read books and receive the news. He agreed with his partners that either one of these opportunities would jumpstart her career. Jess felt good because the company was expanding, and they had the money to offer a salary and benefits. Rory had a byline, and she was very popular having many followers when one of her stories was featured in The Post. The magazine they were considering writing was going to be about the New England States called the Yankee Gazette. This would not only be a travel guide, but it would also highlight a different state in the New England region focusing on different cities, the history, the natural resources, the people, business and communities.

Looking out of the window on the train, Jess decided to contact Paris. Paris and Jess had bumped into each other recently, and he found that she had changed and was very attractive. Jess took out his phone and quickly sent Paris a text.

 _ **Jess - Paris, arriving at Hartford train station. Are you interested in dinner tonight? J**_

He then sent a second text:

 _ **Jess - Doogie, on the train will be in Hartford by one. I have an idea that might interest you. I will be stopping at your grandmother's house at 1:30. J**_

Looking at the time on his telephone, he put his headphones on and pulled out the book he was reading and relaxed on the train for the next two hours.

Tristan was looking at the surgical board that listed the daily surgeries and the operating room he would be spending his morning in. Tristan, trained in General Surgery but the military, was able to specialize in Laparoscopic surgery. This training gave him the opportunity to perfect his skills under the top surgeons in the field especially when it came to orthopedic and abdominal surgery. He was one of the best laparoscopic surgeons that the Hartford Hospital had on their staff. That was why he was often called when there were emergency abdominal cases. Paris specialized in surgical obstetrics and gynecology. She worked with Dr. Addison Montgomery who had an office there in Hartford, but she spent most of her time at the hospital on call when gynecological emergencies came up.

She walked over to where Tristan was standing and said in a low voice, "So you had dinner with Rory last night."

Tristen squinted his eyes and looked at her, "How did you know that?"

"What are you doing Tristan?" she asked him scowling at him.

"It's none of your business. But if you must know, I went by to check on her and see if those three men we saw had contacted her and she and her grandmother asked me to stay. While I was there, Dean called to tell her that those men were at his Pub asking questions about her."

"Tristan, please be careful. Remember that this is Rory. She was involved with Dean once too, and if he is calling her he must still care about her. I know you still have feelings for her too, don't deny it and I am pretty sure she feels something for you since it was obvious after the phone call I just had with her. Logan and Rory have a very complex relationship with each other. Neither one has been willing to let the other go no matter how much they hurt each other. This could be bad. I don't want either one of you hurt."

"Thanks, we won't get hurt. Remember I have one more tour to do, and I wasn't planning on staying here long."

"That's what I mean Tris, don't hurt her."

Tristan looked back at the board;he wasn't scheduled for another surgery until nine thirty. He had time to go to the lobby to get a cup of green tea and something to eat.

He turned back to Paris and gave her a weak smile. Tristan turned and strode down to the elevator, hitting the lobby button in the elevator, he pulled out his phone. He hovered over her name, then hit her number. Lifting the phone to his ear he listened to it ring. He was ready to leave a message when he heard her voice.

"Hello?"

"Hey, I didn't catch you at a bad time did I?"

He heard her giggle, "No, not at all. I just wanted to shut my door before I answered the phone."

Smiling he said, " Are you feeling well enough to go to a movie?"

"Yes, I would love to get out of the house. What did you have in mind?"

The elevator dinged, and he walked out still talking to her.

"I overheard the nurses talking about two movies, **Manchester by the Sea** and **La La Land."**

"Wait, you are telling me, that Tristan would take me to see a musical love story called **La La Land**?" she laughed.

" I heard that they just opened a Movie Tavern in Berlin, Connecticut where you sit back, and they serve food and drinks to you while you watch the movie. How does that sound?"

"That does sound like fun, so it's dinner and a movie, in comfortable chairs? Hmmm."

"I'll even let you pick out the movie?"

"You do strike a hard bargain. Okay that sounds like just what I need. When?"

"I will call you back and let you know after I check my schedule. Listen I've got to go, I am grabbing something to eat before surgery since I will be in surgery all morning, but Mare, I will call you back."

"Rory," She responded to him.

"Huh?"

"My name is Rory."

"No, when you are with me, you will always be Mary, or Mare."

"Will discuss that later."

"You aren't going to win on that, Mary."

"We will see,"

"Goodbye Mare," and he hung up before she could answer. Rory sat on the bed and finished her exercises that Krissi had given her. She took her clothes and went into the bathroom and took another shower. She was beginning to feel better, she still felt like crying but Krissi told her that this would continue for a while but at least she was no longer bleeding.

She got into the shower and thought about last night. That kiss he gave her was amazing. Paris called her around midnight when she got home from the hospital and Rory told her what happened. Paris was unusually quiet which surprised Rory, because she listened to her.

"Look Rory, in the last six months Tristan and I have become close friends. He transferred here in the middle of the residency program. He is military and has changed. He is not like the Tristan we knew in high school."

"Well Paris, we all have changed. I am not the same girl I was in high school either."

Paris sighed, "Are you sure this is not an emotional reaction that you are having because he saved you? You know sometimes patients fall for their doctors, especially if they are handsome. You might be transferring your feelings for him because of your recent breakup."

"Paris, no it isn't like that."

"Rory I am mad at you."

"Why are you mad, because I kissed Tristan?"

"No, Tristan and I are friends. But Rory, I thought we were best friends and we shared everything."

"Well we are close Paris," Rory replied to her not understanding what she meant.

"Then why did you not tell me that you and Logan were back together. That man has never been worthy of you."

"Paris, I didn't even tell my mother or Jess that we were together. Only a few people knew. But I guess I didn't tell you because I knew how you felt about him. I think deep down I knew that you were right. But the feelings for Tristan are different."

"Ror, please be careful. This is a precarious time in your life. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Thanks Paris, don't worry I promise I will be careful."

"Good, now that you are here in Hartford, let's not wait six months before we talk again. I missed you Gilmore."

"I missed you too, Paris."

Rory finished her shower and found a pair of soft jeans. She put them on and did up the top button. She wondered if she had lost weight because about two weeks ago these were tight. She put on a blouse and slipped on some flats. She walked out of the bedroom with her hair freshly washed and dried. She was getting bored. She picked up her phone and noticed she had a message. Opening it up she smiled, it was from Jess. After reading the message she quickly typed back.

 **Rory- Can't wait to see you Dodger. I will be sitting here. I am so bored. Hope you have some ideas to keep me busy. - Doogie.**

Her grandmother was supposed to leave to go shopping then to a DAR luncheon meeting. Rory was going to be home alone which she looked forward to. She walked out of her room to fix herself a cup of coffee and find something to eat. She entered the kitchen where she found her grandmother sitting in the chair looking pale..

Christopher was in the office, in Boston preparing for another meeting. When Christopher's father passed away, he combined the company that his grandfather had left him and his father's company forming Hayden and Son Holdings or HSH. Hayden Holdings not only had a large international law firm but when Christopher combined his Grandfather's company which was a Private Wealth Management, Trust and Banking Company called Worchester Banking, it became one of the most powerful companies on the East coast. Before Straub died he began to purchase some publishing companies as investments and this was what the Huntzbergers were after. His mother was still a majority stockholder of the company and retained a seat on the board. Within the last few months, she had been trying to convince Christopher to approach Rory about joining his company. He had told her that Lorelai had confided in him that she seemed lost and recently took an unpaid job at the Stars Hollow Gazette. Now that he knew about the ectopic pregnancy, he understood what was going on. He had a feeling it was not that Paul, Peter or Patrick whatever his name was, that got her pregnant.

Logan left Hartford and flew into the Boston airport. He sat in the town car wondering about Rory. He was annoyed that his father had arranged this meeting at nine am today at Hayden and Son Holdings LLC or (HSH). Logan entered the beautiful building of HSH on Post Office Square. He took the elevator to the top floor where he was to meet with the president of the company. Logan never made the connection that the president of the company was Christopher Hayden, Rory's father. He assumed that Straub Hayden still ran the company since his name was on the door. Logan had forgotten that Colin now worked for HSH. This occurred a year ago when his father's law firm joined Hayden Holdings and became the branch in Hartford.

Logan was led into the conference room by an attractive blonde not much older than himself. He smiled at her and asked her name. She smiled back and said, "Amber. Mr. Hayden will be with you shortly. Can I get you anything?"

Logan flirted back and said, "Maybe your phone number." This made Amber giggle and she winked and walked back to her receptionist desk.

Logan was not there very long when Christopher came in with his phone in his hand and a folder. He looked up and immediately recognized Rory's old boyfriend. He wondered how long it would take before Logan would recognize him. It had been ten years since they had seen each other. Chris had gained a few pounds and had gotten a little grayer, but he was still handsome. He noticed that Logan had matured and appeared that he was physically fit.

"Logan it is good to see you," Christopher said as he walked in. Setting his items on his desk, he walked over and shook his hand.

Logan had been looking on his phone when Christopher walked in and was taken aback when Mr. Hayden had called him by name. He looked up and stopped. Logan's phone was open to the last picture he had of Rory. It was a selfie of them he took on the night they had in New Hampshire. She was asleep in his arms and she looked so beautiful, it was just after they had made love. He was hoping that she would tell him to not go through with the stupid Dynastic Plan. Logan put the phone down on the desk and shook Christopher's hand.

"Mr. Hayden, Chris? Wait, I never made the connection."

Christopher looked at Logan's phone and recognized his sleeping daughter in the picture. He noticed the date stamp on it, September 1. His first instinct was to punch him but knew that wouldn't help his daughter. Now it made sense why she changed her phone number and who got her pregnant.

"Yes, I am Rory's father."

"Wow, wait. I have to ask you this. Have you heard from Rory?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I haven't heard from her in about 8 weeks, and I ummm"

"No I haven't. Her mom got remarried and I think she was going to go away for a while."

"Oh. I was hoping that you knew where she was."

"Logan aren't you getting married? Your father mentioned it when I saw him recently."

"Yeah… about that, it's his Dynastic Plan," Logan mumbled. Christopher looked at him and raised his eyebrows. He wondered what he meant by that remark.

"Well, what can I do for you today Logan?"

"I am here to see if we can close the deal on the purchase of Gregg Press. We know that you have ownership of it and a few other Publishing houses and HPG is very interested in purchasing it."

"I am sorry Logan, but since I spoke to your father last, there has been some restructuring going on here at HSH and our publishing companies will no longer be for sale. In fact we will be expanding that part of our company."

Just then Christopher's phone rang. He looked down and noticed that it was his daughters phone number.

"Excuse me Logan, I have to take this call, it's from my youngest daughter Gigi. Would you mind waiting outside in the lobby? She never calls so this must be important."

"Oh certainly, no problem." Logan got up and walked out to the lobby to make a call to his father.

"Gigi, what's wrong?"

"Dad, it's Grandma. Rory just took Grandma to the hospital."

"Rory shouldn't be driving, " Chris said with alarm.

"I know that Rory isn't supposed to drive but she didn't want to wait for the ambulance. She took grandma's car keys. Grandma was pale and having trouble breathing. Rory said to call you and tell you to come home."

"Okay Gig, I will be right there. I am heading to the helicopter. Do you know where she is taking her?"

"No, but she called her friend Tristan."

"Okay, honey don't worry. You stay with Eunice, and stay home from school today."

"Okay Dad. Hurry."

Christopher quickly hit the button to his private secretary, Donna.

"Donna, call the Boston airport and get me the helicopter. It's an emergency, I must get back to Hartford. It's my mother this time. Don't tell anyone what's going on and please call James to have the car brought out front."

"Of course Mr. Hayden, is there anyone else I need to call? "

"Yes cancel all my appointments for the next few weeks. Also, call Charles Brooks and see if he can take over any meetings that you can't reschedule. I will call you later with more details."

Christopher got off the phone and took a deep breath, he then grabbed his coat and went out to the lobby where Logan was on the phone arguing with someone.

"Look, I will get back to you, I know. I will be on the next flight to London."

Logan ended his call and looked at Christopher.

"Logan, I hate to end the meeting but there is a family emergency. That was my daughter Gigi. Tell your father that unfortunately we can't do business together at this time. But I will be in touch if I know of any other publishing companies that he might be interested in purchasing."

Christopher then patted Logan on the back and left to get on the elevator that would take him to the parking garage. Logan stood there stunned. He wanted to say something to Chris, but he was gone before he could ask if he would tell Rory that he was looking for her, and that he was sorry.

Logan took the next elevator down to the lobby of the HSH building. His car was out front but since he was in the center of Boston and wasn't in any hurry to return to London he decided to walk to Quincy Market; and enjoy the unusual warm weather for October before he headed back to the damp cold of London. Walking toward Quincy Market, Logan sent a group text to Finn, Colin and Robert telling them that his meeting was with Rory's father this morning.

 _ **Logan - Finn, Colin, Robert.**_

 _ **Meeting this morning that Dark Lord arranged was at HSH .. Hayden and Son Holdings. Rory's father. I had forgotten that she was a Hayden.**_ _ **Her father has not seen her in a while. That doesn't surprise me since she was always closer to her mother. Just by chance try checking for a Rory Hayden or Lorelai Hayden at the hospitals**_ _._ _ **\- L**_

Logan finished his walk around Quincy market then had the driver take him to the airport. He got on the plane to London, and closer to his destiny that his father had arranged for him and farther from Rory.

When Rory had walked into the kitchen, she noticed that her grandmother looked pale.. After questioning her, she went over and touched her. Her hands were clammy, and she was having trouble breathing. Immediately Rory called Tristan back.

"Hey, I am on my way to surgery."

"Tris, it's my grandmother, she is having trouble breathing and her hands are clammy."

"Rory get her in the car now, and drive to the ER. I will meet you there."

"Okay, Tris, I'm scared."

"You can do it. Leave your phone on and talk to me, okay?"

"Okay. ..Grandma, come on, we must go to the hospital. Eunice, where are the keys to the car?"

Tristan heard Rory mumble something to Eunice about Gigi and tell her to call her father. Then she heard the car door open and the car starting. "Tris, I might lose you, I am in the car."

"Rory that's okay, drive and don't worry. I know you are coming. I will be waiting for you at the ER entrance."

Luckily the drive from their home to the hospital was only ten minutes and it was late enough that she missed the morning traffic. She pulled into the emergency entrance and immediately saw Tristan coming running out with a wheelchair. He lifted her grandmother out of the car and placed her in the wheelchair. Cassie was beside him checking her vitals. Rory went and parked the car in a handicap parking spot that was not far from the door. She looked around for the handicap sticker, finding it she placed it on the dashboard and ran as fast as she could into the ER. She was holding her abdomen when she ran in. A nurse approached her thinking that she was ill.

Taking deep breaths Rory said, "My grandmother, Dr. Dugray just brought her in."

"Come on, follow me. I will give you the paperwork for you to fill out. They are back in the triage room. Have a seat and I will call you when you can go in." 

"No, I need to see her now, tell Dr. Dugray I am here," Rory shouted. Rory winced and took a few more deep breaths.

"Miss.. it's hospital policy that you wait here."

"My name is Lorelai Hayden; my grandmother is Francine Hayden! Will you please let me through."

Without waiting Rory walked through the open glass door and began to look down the hall to the treatment rooms. She suddenly saw Tristan walk out of a room.

"Tris?"

"Mare, I was just going to come out to get you. How did you get back here?"

"I walked."

He smirked and was surprised at her answer and wondered how she got past the nurse at reception.

"She is having a heart attack and I am sending her up to the Cath Lab to be evaluated. Come on, you can wait in here. I called the best Cardiothoracic surgeons that I have worked with, Dr. Ross, he will be here shortly. Are you okay? You look pale," he said looking at her closely.

"I'm," she took deep breaths to calm herself and then said, "I'm okay, don't worry about me."

Searching her face and looking at her he stood in front of her and took her hand in his and said, "I do worry about you. Let's get you some water."

He went to the vending machine and using his key card he got out two bottles of waters. He opened it and she quickly drank some. Taking her by the hand he took her to the waiting room for Cardiac patients.

"Wait here, I will be back shortly and let you know where they will be taking your grandmother."

Rory was still holding onto the clipboard and Tristan looked at it. "Try to fill it out the best you can, alright?"

She nodded her head and sat down. She then called home and spoke to Eunice.

"Eunice don't frighten Gigi, but Grandma was having a heart attack. They are taking her for test, she is stable. Tell dad to meet me at Hartford General in the Cardiac waiting room. Oh and tell him to bring all grandma's insurance information."

"Yes dear I will. I am keeping Gigi home. The poor dear is beside herself."

"Eunice let me talk to her." Rory heard Eunice call to Gigi and then Gigi's voice came on the phone.

"H H Hello," she stuttered, and Rory could tell by her voice how frightened she was.

"Hey Gig, grandma is okay. She is having tests done."

"Are you okay Rory? The doctor didn't want you to drive."

"I'm fine. Tristan, Dr. Dugray, is taking care of grandma. Did you talk to dad?"

"Yes he is getting on a helicopter and coming home now."

"Oh Gigi, do you remember my friend Jess, Luke's nephew?"

"Yes,"

"Well he is supposed to come to see me. Would you tell him he can find me here at the hospital?"

"Okay. Rory can I come with him to the hospital?"

"Of course you can. I will send him a text too."

Rory looked up at the clock, it was now, nine thirty. Was it only twenty-five minutes ago that this all happened? Her phone pinged, it was Tristan.

 **Tristan - Mare, I have surgery now. I will come and find you when I am through. Paris is on her way down now with Ethan, Dr. Whyles, head of the ER. If you have any questions you can talk to Paris or Ethan and they will get the information for you. Doc**

Her phone rang, and it was her dad. "Dad?"

"Yeah, kiddo. I am getting on the helicopter now. What happened?"

"I came out to the kitchen and she was having trouble breathing and she was clammy. I called Tristan and he told me to get her to the hospital immediately. She is stable, and she is having test done in the Cath lab now."

"Good, who did they call?"

"Tristan called Dr. Ross."

"Excellent. I should be there in about eighty minutes. I will call you when I land."

"Thanks dad, I love you."

"I love you too, kiddo. Rory, everything will be okay."

Suddenly the tears that she had been holding back just opened and she sat there in the corner of the waiting room quietly crying. Paris and Ethan found her and went running to her side. Ethan immediately began to check her over and noticed that she had a water bottle in her hand.

"Paris, didn't she just get released after having surgery?"

Paris nodded. "Gilmore, you need to drink and eat. You won't be any good to your grandmother if you get sick."

"Paris, can you stay with her?" Ethan asked her.

"Sure, I just got off duty."

"Rory stay here with Paris, I will be right back."

"Paris I am afraid she might go into shock. Do you think she has eaten anything? She looks shaky. I am going into the lounge and grab something from the fridge." Ethan told her with concern in his voice.

Rory nodded her head and continued to cry. Paris wrapped her arm around her shoulder and she gently rocked her while Ethan ran down to the hallway towards the doctor's lounge to see if they had any fruit or juice to give her..


	9. Chapter 8 An Offer

**Chapter 8 An Offer**

Jess arrived at the hospital twenty minutes before Christopher. He had received Rory's text and had the Uber driver go to her grandmother's house first to pick up Gigi and the small suitcase that Gigi had packed for her grandmother with Eunice's help. Rory was sitting in the Cardiac surgical waiting room with Paris when they both arrived. Jess went over to Rory and hugged her and then sat down beside Paris.

Christopher walked in followed by Tristan who was still wearing his scrubs from his last surgery. Tristan looked at the group and smiled. Connor had just updated him.

"Mr. Hayden, Rory, I spoke to Dr. Ross before I came up. Your grandmother is in recovery now. Dr. Ross and his team had to do bypass surgery. Luckily Dr. Romaro is her cardiologist and Dr. Ross is his partner in the cardiology office. Dr. Ross called Dr. Romaro immediately, and he came in to assist. She had a two-way bypass, and they did a minimally invasive surgery called the keyhole surgery. Your grandmother should make a full recovery. The team will transfer your grandmother shortly to a room in ICU, then as she she will eventually go to the critical care wing. Once Mrs. Hayden becomes stronger she can be moved to a rehabilitation hospital, or she might even be able to go home. Tristan finish explaining the procedure to Rory and then looked over at Jess and Gigi.

Gigi looked crestfallen, and her eyes were filled with tears when she spoke.

"That means Grandma may not be home for Thanksgiving."

Rory reached over and took her sister's hand in hers.

"Don't worry, Gig. We can bring her Thanksgiving dinner here. Right dad?"

"Right. Come here Gig, grandma will be okay," Christopher said as he held his youngest daughter in his arms kissing her on her forehead. "You were brave today, and I am proud of you. I am proud of both of my girls."

Looking over at Rory he continued, "Rory I was so glad you were there today. I know you shouldn't have been driving. Are you okay?"

"Yes, Dad I am fine."

"Rory, can we go someplace private and talk?" her father asked her.

"Sure," she looked around wondering where they could go that would be private.

Paris got up and said, "Follow me."

Off the room that they were sitting in was a conference room where the doctors would talk to the patients. The conference room was empty, so she told them to go in.

"You can go in here; no one will be using it."

Rory and her father walked in. She looked at her father and said, "What's wrong?"

"Ror, your grandmother and I have been talking, and we would like you to come and work for HSH."

"What? What would I do?"

Christopher led her to the couch and had her sit down.

"Kiddo, many years ago your grandfather bought some publishing companies in England. Under your grandmother's guidance we recently acquired more publishing companies both here and in England, and we need someone who knows about journalism to help guide them. I know you are in between jobs, and this is something we think that you would enjoy doing, plus you would be doing us a big favor."

She looked at her father shocked, "Dad really, I don't know what to say? I don't know much about publishing."

"That's where you are wrong. Your best friend out there owns a successful publishing house. I am sure he could give you advise, and he is an author, correct?"

"Yea, but…"

"Before I say anything else, do you mind if I ask Tristan to come and join us? I have some questions for him."

"Okay…"

Christopher walked out of the room and invited Tristan to come back into the room.

"Rory I am going to ask Dr. Dugray some questions, and it is important that he answer them. Will you be okay with that?"

"Yes…. but."

"Hon, it's important that I know the answers before I tell you my next bit of information."

She shrugged her shoulders and sat quietly on the couch.

"Dr. Dugray, when I saw you the day I came to the hospital when Rory had the emergency operation, you said you removed a cyst. I need to know, was this cyst cancerous?"

"No, she had an ectopic pregnancy."

Christopher nodded and looked at his daughter and gave her a weak smile.

"Rory, was Logan Huntzberger, the father?"

Rory turned her head and looked out the window and a tear fell down her cheek. Christopher went over to her and knelt in front of her.

"Rory it's okay, I am not upset. You are an adult, and you can live your life the way you want. I had to ask you this because today I had a meeting with him."

Rory's eyes got big, and she looked scared, "You didn't tell him did you? You didn't tell him I was at your house?"

"No, I told him I hadn't heard from you and that you might have gone away after your mother got married. Is it over between you two?"

She nodded her head and looking off in the distance she began to speak.

"Logan and I had been seeing each other for the last few years. He was Dede, dad, my roommate in London. I never told anyone about it, not even Paris." Embarrassed Rory glanced over at Tristan as she felt another tear run down her cheek. She was now admitting to both her father and Tristan how weak she had been.

Wiping her face with the back of her hand, she sighed and continued, "I broke up with Logan in June. We had bumped into his father at a restaurant in London, and I found out that Logan was engaged to a French woman. We had this arrangement that we called Vegas. You have heard the saying, " What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?" We both agreed to that, but soon I became uncomfortable with that relationship. So when I was there in June, I told him goodbye and started moving my things out of his apartment. I thought he realized it was over. I hadn't heard from him all summer, and I never contacted him.

I returned home and took the job at the Stars Hollow Gazette. Then without warning, Logan came to Stars Hollow Labor Day weekend. It was evening, and I was alone working at the newspaper office. He appeared and took me for one of his mystery adventures, which I called "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride." We ended up in New Hampshire at an Inn that Colin had recently purchased. After drinking, laughing and dancing we went back to a room. He offered me his family home in Maine and gave me a key and wanted me to live there and start writing a novel. Logan told me that he didn't want to lose me and said that we could be together whenever he was returned to the states. The next morning, I asked him if he was still going to get married. He told me that that was the Dynastic Plan. I handed his key back to him, and I told him no. I got dressed called an Uber and left. I realized that if I did what he wanted me to do that I could never be happy. I would be trapped . I would be his dirty little secret. I would never be able to look you or mom in the face, and I would have lost all my self respect."

Tristan stood silently leaning against the wall with his arms across his chest. He was angry at Logan for doing this to her. How could anyone tell a woman that they loved her and thentreat her like this? He wasn't sure what he would do if he ever met that man.

Rory stood up and walked over to the window and looked out for a few minutes and then she turned and looked at her father and Tristan. "I didn't know that I was pregnant until the morning of mom's wedding. I hadn't been feeling well, so I took a pregnancy test. Mom knew I took the test, but then...three days later I was in the hospital. I never had the chance to confirm the pregnancy with a doctor."

Christopher walked over to his daughter and pulled her into his arms as she sobbed. Tristan stood quietly leaning against the wall wanting to be the one to comfort her. Tristan could not comprehend how Logan could treat his Mary like that. He looked over at Christopher and wondered why Chris needed to know this information.

"Rory, it wasn't meant to be. I want you to realize that there is someone else out there for you." Christopher said comforting his daughter.

"Please don't do what I did to your mom. I want you to move on from Logan. Forget about him and let him marry that woman he is engaged too. If he loved you, he never would have walked away from you. Your mother did not raise you to be like this." Christopher told her as he gently rubbed her back.

Tristan watched and finally he had to say something. He no longer could keep quiet.

"Mare, your fathers right. The Rory Gilmore I knew at Chilton would never have let someone treat her like this. When I tried to date you, you refused to go out with me because you would never cheat on Dean. When I kissed you, and you kissed me back, you ran away. You felt that you were betraying Dean. Logan isn't worth it. No man is worth it. You are such a strong, smart, beautiful woman; you should not be anyone's secret. He should never have treated you like that."

Rory looked at Tristan and shook her head, "I don't know. When he asked me to marry him, when I graduated from Yale, I told him no, not yet. I wasn't ready to get married, but when we saw each other in Hamburg, we started up where we left off. It felt good for a while. But I realize now that I wasn't happy."

Rory than looked up at her father, moving away and wiping her tear stained face she said, "Dad are you asking me if I will ever get back with Logan? Because no, it is over. But why do you need to know? Did mom ask you to ask me about this?"

"No, no your mother doesn't' know. It's because the Huntzbergers are after the small publishing companies. I need to know that if you take the job with our publishing companies that you are not involved with the Huntzbergers. Your grandmother Francine has had some bad dealings with them before. She made a promise to your grandfather to never let them purchase the companies."

Rory looked over at Tristan. She wondered if his opinion had changed now that he knew about her relationship with Logan. Rory looked directly into Tristan's eyes where she saw an intensity an honesty and a gentleness as his eyes locked with hers. She remembered how his lips felt on hers and she wanted him to hold her at that moment to feel his hard body against hers as his hands gently glide down her body and follow her curves.

Tristan stood watching and listening to every word she said. He watched as she licked her lips and biting her bottom lip to stop it from trembling. He wanted to go over there gather her in his arms and kiss her letting her know that there was someone else out there for her. Rory walked away from her father now and began to walk closer to where Tristan was standing. She needed to be near him; she felt that he would keep her safe.

Looking at her father, she softly said, "Dad, your parents never wanted me, Grandpa Straub told me when I was sixteen that I ruined your life."

"No Rory, you never ruined my life. I had to grow up the day that you were born. Remember I was only sixteen years old, but my parents didn't want me to lose my chance at a future they had planned for me. I love you and your mom more than anything, but both your grandparents made it difficult for us to be together. That's why your mother took you to Stars Hollow to raise you. She waited until you were three before she even told me where you were. I am sorry I took so long to realize how important you both are to me. It is too late for your mom and I but at least now we are friends, and because of her I have an amazing daughter. I hope Gigi will grow up to be as amazing as you are. Your grandmother Francine loves you, Rory. It was her idea to bring you into the company. She wants you to take over her seat on the board."

"I don't understand Dad?"

"When she dies, she is naming you the Heiress to the company. But now that you are back you have time to learn the business from the bottom up. Your grandfather confessed to me that he was proud of you and all your accomplishments. Richard and Straub would talk weekly, and he would let him know about your accomplishments. After he died, your grandfather would call Francine and let her know. I also provided them with photographs of you and bragged about your accomplishments. My mother was not happy when I became involved with Gigi's mother, and neither was my father."

Finally, Tristan walked over to her and took her hand.

"Mare, I can help you. You know that I inherited my grandfather's company when he died. I know how to run a multimillion-dollar business, and I will be happy to share my knowledge with you."

She smiled at Tris and then looked at her father.

"Dad, can I think about this?

"I would like you to start soon. Your grandmother has at least four weeks of recovery. So maybe you can begin slowly."

"Okay, while she is recovering I will help out. Maybe I could ask Jess to help me."

She shrugged her shoulders and smiled weakly at her father. He came over to her and hugged her and said, "That's all I ask."

"Okay, I am going to see if I can find Dr. Ross and Dr. Romaro, then we can get something to eat."

Christopher turned and walked out of the room leaving Rory and Tristan alone.

Rory stood there silently thinking about how she wanted to go over there and kiss him and have him hold her in his arms and tell her that she is making the right choice. She looked up, and their eyes met as she slowly walked closer to him.

"Penny for your thought," he said as he reached and gently pushed a strand of hair behind her ear that had fallen over her face when she was crying.

"Do you think I should do this?"

"Rory, I don't know. You might run into Logan again, but what else do you have lined up?"

"At the moment I have a date with a handsome doctor to go to the Movie Tavern."

He smiled at her and took her by the hand and gently pulled her into his arms.

Her hands went to his chest as he held her by her hips. "Yes, you do. Today might not be a good night, but there is always tomorrow?"

"Yes, there is always tomorrow."

He leaned his head toward her and said, "Are you going to hang out here all day?"

"Yes, why?"

He bent his head down and pressed his lips against hers. She opened her mouth and slipped her tongue in his mouth. Their tongues tangled with each other. She ran her hands up his tight chest and then wrapped them around his neck. He pulled her closer, and she felt his erection through his scrubs.

The kiss ended, and he lifted his head and smiling down at her said, "I have waited for twelve years to kiss you like that."

"I didn't run away this time."

"Good because I will chase you and find you." He kissed her again and then he heard his pager go off. He looked down at it.

"I've got to go. I will find you later, and we will continue where we left off."

He walked out of the room leaving Rory in there alone. She walked over to the window and looked out over Hartford and thought about what her father had said. She had stood up to the Huntzbergers before, and she could do it again. But could she stand up to Logan? She took a big breath and walked out of the room. She needed to talk to Paris and Jess about this.

Paris was also gone her pager also went off, so she sat down beside Jess and Gigi who were sitting on the couch looking at Gigi's tablet and talking in French.

"Hey is everything okay?" Jess asked her when she walked over to them.

"Yeah, I guess. Hey, let's find that Starbucks and get some coffee. What do you say, Gigi? Interested in a smoothie and some chocolate?"

"Yes, I am hungry."

Rory looped her arm in Gigi's, and Jess put his arm around her shoulder. As they waited for the elevator, he pulled her to his side and kissed the top of her head.

"Don't worry; everything will be okay."

"I don't know Jess. I need to talk to you. I need some advice," she said looking at him.

"Okay, but we will do that later. Let's get my girls something to eat."

Gigi had a crush on Jess and giggled when he said that.

Jess was kind to her. He never treated her like a little kid. When he was in Stars Hollow, and she saw him, he would spend time talking to her about music and books. When Paris left, they sat in the lounge speaking in French to each other while they waited for Rory and her Dad to return. Jess was always interested in learning new languages, and when he found out the Gigi was fluent in French, he asked her to help him.

Gigi looked at him confused, "Why do you need to speak French

"Because it's the language of Love, my chère; and like every great writer, I plan on going to Paris and live there and write a novel, someday. Plus this is a good place to practice the language since we have nowhere special to go."

Gigi looked over at Jess and Rory. He still had his arm around his sister's shoulder, she is confused because she thought that he was with Paris. He saw them kiss goodbye when she left.

They got off the elevator in the lobby and stood in the line at Starbucks.

"Hey Gigi, do you see that table in the corner over there?" Rory asked.

"Yeah."

"Will you go and get it for us and send dad a text letting him know where we are."

Gigi left and went and sat down at the table in the corner by the window with four chairs. She took out her phone and sent her father a text letting him know that she was with Rory and Jess at the cafe in the lobby. After waiting in line for fifteen minutes, Rory and Jess returned with food for them. Rory picked up an extra sandwich and a cup of coffee for her dad. They just started eating when Christopher found them.

"Dad, I got you a sandwich and a cup of coffee. It's still hot; I am sure you must be hungry."

"I am, thanks."

Rory looked at her dad and asked, "What did the doctor say?"

"He said you were lucky you got her to the hospital when you did. She must have been having pains for a while but never said anything."

"I probably should have gone back to Stars Hollow. I must have been too much for her."

"No, if you hadn't been there she would have been dead. Rory, it's important that you be with us now."

Jess looked at her and smiled; he knew how she battled with herself when it came to her mom and dad. She loved them both so much, but she was afraid of hurting them and disappointing them. Rory had confessed to Jess when they were younger. He knew that Rory always felt that she was pulled between them. She never wanted to see her parents unhappy, but she also didn't like the way Lorelai sometimes treated her father.

"Your grandmother is expecting to make a full recovery. At 75 she is young, there is no need to worry. Rory, she has been a widow for twelve years. She is strong, and she has been able to help me run this company. Now it will be your turn."

Jess looked at Rory and arched his eyebrow at her. He thought to himself, now may not be the time to talk to her about starting her blog. A text came for Jess from Paris.

 **Paris- still want to meet for dinner tonight? P**

 **Jess - Yes, time and place? J**

 **Paris - How about you meet me here, I am done today at 4:30. P**

 **Jess - I will be here. J**

He slipped his phone into his pocket and continued to eat his salad. Rory looked at him and raised her eyebrows.

"Work?" she asked him with a smirk on her lips.

"Could be," Jess replied avoiding the answer to her question. Jess was a man of few words and always kept things to himself unless he had something to say and then he would say it.

"Hey Gig, let's go to the gift shop and pick out something for grandma. I bet she would like flowers for her room," Christopher said to his youngest daughter.

"Okay," Gigi replied, and she went off with her father to the large gift shop here at the hospital.

"So what do you want to talk to me about?" Jess said when they left. He leaned back in his seat and crossed his ankles.

"Dad offered me a job at HSH. HIs company has branched out into publishing, and they have made some recent purchases. Grandma has been running that part of the business, and now he needs help and wants me to work with them. I don't know what I should do."

"Rory, what would hold you back? Is it a paying job?"

"Yes but Jess I am just a writer. I only worked at a newspaper. What do I know about publishing?"

'I know a lot, and I can help you. They probably will start you out as an editor. You have been an editor for a newspaper; you know what to do. You have published articles, so you know what it's like."

"But do you have the time to help me? What if I don't like it. What if I have to go back to London and…"

"Ror, what is it really?, Why do you look so sad."

"Jess I have something to tell you. Promise me you won't be mad?"

"Rory I won't get mad, I promise."

"My operation?"

"Yeah,"

"Well umm, I had an ectopic pregnancy. I had just found out I was pregnant the morning of my mom's wedding. I never knew I was pregnant."

"Are you okay now?" he asked her with concern in his voice. He reached out and ran the back of his finger down her cheek.

"Yeah, I guess. The doctor told me that I might have another one if I get pregnant again. But Paris told me that the birth control I was on probably was the cause."

"So why did you think I would get mad."

"Jess, Logan and I got back together about a year ago. When I was over in London, there was no Dede. He was Dede."

"Does Logan know about the pregnancy?"

"No and he never will, he is engaged to be married."

"Rory, was he engaged when it happened?"

"Yeah."

"I swear Rory if I ever see him I will kill him. Rory, what is wrong with you? You have more self-respect than that. I told you that you were too good for him before. What are you going to do? "

"There's nothing to do. We said goodbye in June, and then he came eight weeks ago, and I told him I never wanted to see him again. But if I take this job with my father, I will have to see him. What am I going to do?"

"Rory, you won't have to see him. I own a publishing company, and I never see him. And if you have to attend an event that you know he will be at; I will go with you."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

She smiled, and the two friends got up and went up to the ICU to check on her grandmother.

Jess and Rory were sitting in her grandmothers' room when Christopher and Gigi returned from the gift shop. The four of them sat there for two more hours, Chris and Rory talked quietly about how she could help him, while Jess and Gigi continued to practice speaking in French. Around four pm, Christopher got up and said, "Come Gigi, let's get you home, it's been a long day."

They left and soon Jess looked at Rory and said, "Will you be okay here alone?"

"Yes, go. Enjoy your date with Paris."

He looked at her in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm not blind and I like the idea. So go, we will talk later." Jess got up and left to meet Paris downstairs in the lobby and Rory made her self comfortable in the lounge chair that was in her grandmother's room.

Christopher brought Gigi home in the town car and told her he would be back later tonight. He then had his driver return to the hospital telling him that he would call when he was ready to return home. Walking into the ICU unit, he found Rory beside her grandmother watching her sleep.

"Hey, did Gigi get home okay?"

"Yeah, Eunice said she'll stay there until one of us return. She will have food in the refrigerator for us."

"Thanks, Grandma seems to be resting comfortably. Dad, I think I'm going for a walk."

She stood up and stretched. Her father kissed her forehead, and she walked out of the ICU unit and headed to the blue elevator. She got on and hit the button for the lobby. On the way down the elevator stopped. The door opened, and she saw Tristan standing there in his dark blue scrubs. He removed his surgical hat and smiled when he saw her.

"You look tired," she told him as he walked on standing close beside her.

"Mmm," he responded.

He looked at her and then nodded at four other people who got on with him. One was the nurse April, and she slid closer to him.

"Looks like you can use a massage Doc," she said as she reached over to rub his shoulders. He grabbed her arm and glared at her.

In a deep voice, he whispered, "Stop. Don't even think about it."

She looked at him and pouted. He moved closer to Rory. She looked up at him and raised her eyebrows. He didn't say anything. The elevator stopped at the next floor. Gently taking Rory by the arm, he led her off the elevator to a lounge area. He shut the door and locked it.

"What are you doing?"

"This," he took her face between his hands, leaning down he kissed her. When their lips parted, she stepped away.

"I've wanted to do this since I saw you come in with your grandmother."

"Tristan, that nurse."

"She's no one."

"Tristan, is she someone special to you?"

"No, she isn't. She wants to be, but we haven't. She's not my type."

Rory looked at him and searched his face. She wanted to believe him, but the last time she believed someone, it was Logan, and he was engaged.

"Rory, you believe me, don't you?"

"I want to, but the last time I believed someone, he broke my heart."

Tristan put his arm around her waist, "I will never break your heart." He leaned in to kiss her again.

"Tris…"

"Mare," he whispered huskily. Tristan pulled her closer, leaning towards her, he pushed her against the wall kissing her. At first, she hesitated, but slowly she gave in to her passion and returned the kiss. He slowly pulled away knowing he could not continue this way. Tristan lifted his head and smiling down at her said, "How about dinner?"

"I was going to the lobby now to get some food."

"Listen, I know a place, it's around the corner. Cass and a few nurses were talking about it. We can get something to eat, and I can take you home."

"I've got my grandmother's car here, I've got to drive it back."

"Alright, we will come back after dinner. Why don't you go back to ICU and I'll meet you there. I've got to change."

Rory walked back to the elevator and went up to the ICU floor. Her dad was sitting there.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked her. She looked exhausted, and he knew she still had to take it easy.

"Yes, I'm waiting here for Tristan. I'll bring Grandma's car home, and then Tristan is taking me out to get some dinner."

"I'll bring it home, give me the keys kiddo. I had the car drop me off here."

She sat down beside her father and pulled the keys out of her purse. They had been sitting there for fifteen minutes when Tristan walked in.

"Hi. How is your mother doing?" Tristan asked Christopher.

Tristan glanced at the machines that her grandmother was connected to. Everything indicated that she was doing well.

"The nurse came in and said that she would be taken off the ventilator soon."

"That's good news. Mare, are you ready to go?"

Rory looked over at her dad. Her dad smiled and said, "Dr. Dugray make sure she eats and make sure she gets home early, so she can rest."

"I will Mr. Hayden."

"It's Christopher."

"I will, and it's Tristan or Doc," Tristan said extending his hand to him.

Christopher shook it and then hugged his daughter. "Don't worry. Let me take care of everything."

Rory hugged him back, and Tristan led Rory to the elevator where they went to the parking garage.

Standing next to Rory Tristan reached over and put his arm around her shoulder. As they stepped onto the elevator she leaned closer to him and rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. She tried not to cry but the exhaustion and the emotions that she had been feeling today were too much. He wrapped his arms around her and gently rubbed her back soothing her. He caressed her gently kissing the top of her head.

"I'm sorry. I'm usually not so emotional."

"Really? Hmm, I remember you crying and running from me. But I guarantee that I will not let you run away this time."

She laughed, and the elevator pinged when they reached the parking garage. Taking her hand, Tristan led her to his Lincoln MKZ that was parked in the Doctors parking lot. Opening the door for her, Rory slid into the seat. She put on her seatbelt as he got into the car. He started the car and said, "First let's get you some food then I'll take you home."

Logan arrived at Heathrow airport at 7 pm. When the plane landed Logan sent out another text to the boys to check for Rory at the hospitals again. This time using the name Hayden.

His father had a car ready for him when he got through customs. He carried his carryon bag and went right to the car. To his surprise, his father Mitchum was waiting for him in the car.

"Logan, what happened. Why didn't Hayden want to deal? I got the impression at the last meeting he wanted to sell those publishing houses."

"He left, he got a phone call from his daughter, his mother went into the hospital. I am not sure what happened."

"Oh, that's too bad, so maybe he will sell. Let's give him some time. We can contact him later if his mother is sick, they might be interested in selling. She is the brains behind the operation."

Mitchum looked at his Rolex, "We have time for you to go home and change, we are having dinner with Odette, and her family tonight. We are announcing the engagement and announcing the wedding date. Your mother and her mother are thinking of a spring wedding."

Logan looked around in the car and found the scotch. He opened the bottle and filled his glass with it.

"Logan, you are going through with this. You need to move on."

"Dad, what if I can't move on. We would have gotten back together if you didn't push the Dynastic plan."

"Look for the company this financially, is a better deal."

"So that is what I am to you? A business deal. Are you pimping out your son? Is that what you think of me?"

"Listen you are thirty-three years old. You need an heir, and once you have a child I can retire, and all this is yours."

"What if I don't want to have a child with her. I don't love her."

"What does love have to do with it."

"Yeah I guess you wouldn't know." Logan finished the drink and poured himself another one.

"Logan, just get her pregnant and then you can do whatever you want on the side."

Logan looked at his father in disgust and didn't say anything else the rest of the way to his flat in London.

Once Logan left the car his father got on the phone, "Harriet, this is Mitchum Huntzberger. Could you find out which hospital Francine Hayden is in and send her flowers. I just heard she was rushed into the hospital today. Yes, let me know. Thanks, dear and have a nice evening."

Finn, Robert, and Colin were all hanging out in Finn's apartment. Finn was looking at his phone.

"Mates, did you get the message from Logan? Is he implying that Rory is a Hayden?"

"I'm not sure," Robert responded looking at the text.

"Listen, Robert, Finn; I've got to go to my office. I've been gone too long. While I'm there, I'll call the hospitals again to see if a Hayden has been admitted."

Colin left, and Robert looked at Finn.

"So what is your plan today?"

"I'm going to the gym, work out. You?" Finn asked Robert.

"I'm going to head home. I will see you at the Neverland tonight?"

"Laters," Finn said to Robert as he left.

Finn sat there looking at his phone. He knew of only one person who might know Straub and Francine Hayden. That was his Nanny. She was 72, and she and Francine were good friends. He decided to call her. It was four pm so that it would be early morning in Sydney. He decided to wait till six pm and then give her a tingle.


	10. Chapter 9 Secrets Revealed

**Chapter 9 Secrets Revealed**

Finn called his Nan, and she answered it after three rings.

"G'day, " she greeted the caller.

"Nan, it's me, Finn. How are you?"

"Oh my favorite Larrikin, I'm fine. Why are you tingling me? Is everything alright?"

"Yes Nan, I just have a question to ask you."

"What is it Love?"

"Were you friends with a Straub Hayden and his family from Hartford?"

"Oh yes, Finn, I am. We used to travel around Europe until he died. I hear from Francine every holiday. Something didn't happen to her did it?"

"Nan I'm not sure but did they have children?"

"Yes, a son, about 4 or 5 years younger than your Dad, your Uncle Marty's age. Why do you ask?"

"Do you happen to know his name?"

"I believe it's Christopher."

"Does he have children?"

"Yes he has two. He is divorced and his youngest lives with him and his mother."

"Is it possible he has a daughter around my age?"

"He has two daughters, come to think of it… How old are you now Finn?"

"I'm thirty-three, don't tell me you've forgotten?"

"Well I haven't seen you in a while. Now let me think your uncle is fifty, yes, I believe his daughter is around your age. He was about seventeen when he and Emily's daughter became pregnant. It was such a scandal. Elias Huntzbergers youngest son, had such a crush on her too. Emily and Richard were best friends with Straub and Francine.

When Lorelai, that's Emily's daughter, ran away with the baby everyone was beside themselves. I remember how hard it was for Francine. Straub refused to let Francine have anything to do with Emily and Richard, and he would not let her go and see the child. I remember talking to Emily back then, and she told me that Christopher, was in and out of the child's life. She had wished they would marry. Why do you ask, Love?"

"I know the granddaughter. Her name is Rory and she was a year behind me at Yale. In fact, she is a close friend of mine, and she dated Logan. But I never knew that she was a Hayden."

"You said she dated Logan? That's a like history repeating itself. Her mother dated Logan's uncle before she dated Christopher. Straub made sure that the child had a paternity test after she was born to make sure it really was Chris's child. For year's Elias, Straub and Richard never spoke, and before that, they were close friends. But Lorelai was a beautiful, intelligent, free-spirited young girl, very rebellious, but who wouldn't be with a demanding mother like Emily."

Finn talked to his grandmother a little longer promising that he would spend time with her when he visited in December. When he hung up, he was shocked that Rory Gilmore was a Hayden. He wondered if Logan knew that his Uncle had dated Rory's mother. He was equally surprised that Rory had come from a wealthy family. He remembered the sausage party that Emily had given Rory the first time he met her. Why he wondered, did Mitchum and Shira Huntzberger disapprove of her if she was a Hayden.

Tristan pulled into the parking lot behind the Pigs Eye Pub in Hartford. They walked around to the entrance and walked in. The pub was already crowded, and the piped in music was very loud. Tristan spotted Paris and waved to her. Taking Rory by the hand, he led her to the booth where Paris and Jess were sitting.

"Hi, do you mind if we join you?" Tristan asked Paris and Jess.

""No, come and sit." Paris slid over in the booth to make room for her.

Paris and Jess were sitting across from each other, so Rory slid in beside Jess and Tristan sat beside Paris.

Paris and Jess were nibbling on some appetizers, and each had a drink in front of them. Paris had an orange colored Martini, and since it was a Wednesday evening, Jess was drinking one of the draft beer specials. A cute brunette waitress, name Cara, wearing a Pig's Eye T shirt came to take their order.

"I will have a Sam Adams Wheat."

Cara turned and looked at Rory.

"Do you have Chardonnay?"

The waitress nodded.

"I will have a glass of that."

Turning to talk to Paris she asked, "Paris what are you drinking?"

"I am having a Pumpkin Martini. It's good you should have one."

"Paris, I am so exhausted I probably would never finish it and fall asleep right here."

"Maybe you shouldn't be out if you are that tired," Paris replied looking concerned.

"I'm fine really. I am going stir crazy in my dad's house," Rory replied looking around the bar. "I spent the day with my grandmother at the hospital. Dad made Tristan promise he would feed me before he brought me home." Rory said. " I am stunned to see you both here together. Is there something going on between you two?" Rory asked them giving them a smirk and poked Jess in the ribs with her elbow.

"Oh we just bumped into each other at the hospital and I mentioned I was going here to grab something to eat," Paris said not wanting Rory to know that she and Jess were sort of dating.

Tristan looked at Rory and smiled, "What do you feel like eating? Most of the food is barbeque, do you like that food?"

"Yes, the best barbeque I had was in Austin Texas," she said smiling at him

"You haven't had barbeque until you've been in Carolina, they have the best pulled pork around."

The waitress came back, " Are you ready to order?"

Looking at Rory, Tristan asked, "How hungry are you? Do you want to share something or get something on your own."

Jess and Paris laughed at that, and Rory raised her eyebrow. It was apparent Tristan had never sat and ate with Rory before.

"I will have the Flying Pig Burger with cheddar cheese, and cheese fries please."

The waitress turned and smiled at Tristan.

"I will have the Smokin burger with bacon and American cheese, fries and bring an order of the mac and cheese fritters and the smokin wings for the table to share first," Tristan said with a smile.

He reached across the table and squeezed Rory's hand. "I figured we can share the mac and cheese fritters and the wings."

She took a sip of her chardonnay and leaned back in the booth looking at Tristan.

"Ror, How's your grandmother?" Paris asked her.

"She's in ICU, Dad is with her, but they will be taking her off the ventilator tonight."

The four of them sat and talked snacking on the appetizers that were brought. Soon the food that Paris and Jess ordered came out. Paris ordered the Pulled Chicken Sliders and a house salad. Jess ordered the Pulled Pork sandwich and house salad.

The Pig's Eye Pug is crowded and full of loud voices as they compete with the music in the background. This was the first time that Paris and Tristan had been at the restaurant, but many of the nurses and doctors had been talking about it. Looking around at the busy tables Rory noticed that April was here with a few other nurses. She saw a cute blonde wearing her nurses' scrubs talking too April who looked familiar.. Another familiar face catches Rory's attention. It is Cassie, she is standing at the bar with the two nurses, Julie and Erika, that took care of her the day she was admitted at the ER. They were all talking to one of the bartenders. Most of the people here were close to their age. Many wore uniforms, EMTs, in excellent shape wearing their Navy T-shirts with the Hartford emblem on their chest. Some of the nurses were here in their scrubs. As she is talking to Paris she sees April walking over to their booth.

"Doc, I am surprised to see you here," April started as she leaned on the side of the booth that he was sitting on. Tristan looked at her and didn't respond. "Hello Dr. Gellar, I'm surprised to see you two together."

Paris looped her arm in Tristan's and leaned her chin on his shoulder, "Why? You didn't realize we were close?"

Rory looked at Jess, and they smirked at each other.

"What do you want April?" Paris asked

"I just came over to say hello."

"Hello, now you can go. We would like to finish our meal and enjoy the company of our friends." Paris said dismissing her. April glared at her and gently rubbed her fingers on Tristan's shoulder before she walked away. Tristan shrugged and moved closer to Paris glaring at April.

"Tris, I told you not to take her home the night she was drunk," Paris said to him.

Tris just shrugged his shoulders and took a drink from his glass. The waitress came over and brought their burgers. Jess immediately handed the ketchup bottle to Rory knowing how she liked her burger. She smiled at him, and their fingers touched. It was a familiar touch that felt natural. She realized that touching Tristan felt different than when she touched Jess. Rory dressed her burger, and when she went to take a bite, she suddenly became aware of the music that was playing in the background of the bar. It was the song, by Brett Young, "I **n Case You Didn't Know**."

"Paris let's dance," Jess said to her with his crooked grin. Rory and Tristan stood up to let Jess and Paris slide out of the booth. Jess took her hand and they walked hand in hand toward the crowded dance floor. Sitting back down in the booth Rory looked at Tristan and said, "When did that start?"

"Jess and Paris? I am not sure, but I think it's been going on for a little while now."

"Huh, I never would have expected that," she said and took a bite of her burger. Paris and Jess continued to dance on the dance floor with other customers as another song by Brett Young played.

Looking at Tristan Rory asked, "Did you and April date?"

"Define date? Did I take her out to dinner, spend the evening with her and call her for another date? No, never."

"So why does she act as if you did."

"I might have taken her home after a party, but that's all I did. She was drunk, I took her home."

Rory smiled at him, "Did you kiss her?"

Tristan leaned back in his seat and squinted his eyes at her and grinned, "Why? Jealous?"

"No, umm I just wondered why she is glaring at me?"

Tristan turned around and looked at her. "Come on let's give her a reason to glare." Taking her hand he led her to the dance floor.

The song " **Hallelujah"** was playing, and he took her in his arms, and they swayed on the dance floor.

Dean was at the bar and noticed them dancing. He was surprised to see them there and together since he never saw them when they walked in. Dean was serving some customers near the dance floor when he saw them dance by. She had her arms around his neck, and he had his hands at her waist. They were talking and swaying. He swallowed and watched them. The next song that came on was Brett Young's song, " **Like I Loved You**." Dean listened to the words of the song as he watched the two of them dance. They were laughing and talking, but there was something that was different. The way they looked at each other. He wondered if he had a second chance with her now that Tristan was around.

"Are you feeling better now?" Tristan asked her as they returned to their booth and continued to pick on their food.

"Because of the dance?" she replied with a smirk on his face.

He laughed, "It was good holding you in my arms. I have wanted to dance with you since I met you at Chilton. I bet you never knew how much I wanted to take you to our formal at Chilton."

She thought back to that day, how Dean and Tristan fought at the dance. Suddenly she had a chill and had a feeling that someone was watching her. She turned and looked out at the dance floor. The crowd moved away from the bar and noticed that Dean was standing behind the bar handing drinks to a young couple. He looked up, and their eyes met. She gave him a small smile, he nodded his head and smiled back at her.

"It's a good thing our dance was successful, and no one cut in or started a fight," she said smiling at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked her.

"You didn't know that Dean Forester is here working behind the bar?"

"Dean? Like your old high school boyfriend, Dean?"

"Yeah, look over there at the bar." She pointed to the bar where Dean was talking to some of the patrons, laughing and handing out beers. Every once and a while she saw Dean look over at their booth.

He looked over at the bar and noticed that Dean was watching them. Tristan looked back at Rory and said, "Sorry, no I didn't. Do you want to leave?"

"No, he was a long time ago. So many things have changed since we were together."

"How do you feel about me?"

"At one time you annoyed me. I thought I hated you, but then we shared some time together doing that project for English."

"Romeo and Juliet," he said interrupting her.

"You got kicked out of school and left. I was so angry at you. I wanted to know why you did that? Why did you have to do something like that?"

He took a bite from his burger and chewed it slowly before he answered her question. Rory sat there watching, waiting for his response.

"I could say that I was angry at my parents, at you for not going out on a date with me, and I was bored at Chilton; but to be honest Mare, I have no idea why I did the things I did when I was in high school. But I do know now that by sending me away to Military School was the right thing to do." He then reached over and took his hand in hers.

"Mare, I never forgot you, in fact, I thought about you all the time. I wondered what you were doing and if you were still with Dean. I am glad to find out that he is no longer a part of your life."

Rory gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand back. She felt the warmth from his hand and the tingle that seem to go through her body. She looked at his lips and wanted to feel those beautiful full lips on hers.

Just then Paris and Jess came back with drinks for the table.

"Tris, why don't you go and sit next to Rory, Jess and I want to sit beside each other."

Tristan got up, and Rory slid over in the booth. Without thinking, Tristan sat back and put his right arm over her shoulder. Jess did the same thing with Paris, and the girls looked at each other and smiled. Rory felt Tristan's hand slowly caress her hair.

"Paris, Jess, spill. What's going on?" Rory asked.

Jess sat up and folded his hands in front of him on the table. "What do you mean?"

"How long?"

Paris looked at Jess and said, "A little while, why?"

"Paris, bathroom now." Rory got up, and both men slid out of the booth, so the girls could go into the bathroom.

They quickly walked to the left side of the bar where the ladies' room was and walked inside. They were in luck and it was empty. As soon as they walked in, Rory turned to Paris, "Paris, why didn't you tell me you and Jess are dating?"

"Gilmore, I don't have time to tell you everything. Plus, may I remind you that you have been MIA this last year. Even Jess had no idea where you were. Why didn't you tell me that you and Logan got back together."

"Because we didn't, it was Vegas."

"What do you mean?"

"When Logan and I bumped into each other in Europe, the chemistry was still there. But I was afraid to commit to him. So we made an agreement."

"What was the agreement?"

"What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, and when we leave Vegas, we forget about Vegas until we're back in Vegas and then it's just us in Vegas until we're not," Rory tries to explain this to Paris.

"Was that his idea?"

"I don't remember, but it doesn't matter anymore because there is no Vegas again with Logan."

"Gilmore that is the dumbest thing I ever heard. There's never a Vegas. Someone always gets hurt."

Paris went over to the sink and applied some lipstick and combed her hair.

Looking at Rory in the mirror she said, ""Rory I can't believe you got back with him again. Your better than that. You have always been too good for him. What happened to that Paul you dated. "

"Oh, Paul? He was a business colleague of mine. Don't worry there is no more Vegas and no more Logan."

"Are you sure this is finally over? What happened between you and Logan this time that you finally ended it.? I mean I am glad you ended it, but this is Logan. He is looking for you now."

Rory looked at her and nodded her head, "I know. When we were together this spring, I realized that I was missing something by staying with him."

"You mean your self-respect?"

"Yes, and I wasn't happy with my life. I wasn't going anywhere."

"So are you ready to move on?"

"I don't know Paris, I'm afraid if I do that I will get hurt again."

"You will only get hurt if you let yourself get hurt. Be smart Gilmore. Don't rush into anything and explore your options."

"Like you are doing with Jess?"

Paris looked at Rory and bit her bottom lip and nodded. They walked out of the bathroom and returned to the guys in their booth.

The guys were sitting there talking to each other. Tristan slid over and let Rory sit beside him and Paris sat beside Jess.

"Everything okay?" Jess asked Paris.

"Yes, she is fine with us. Right, Rory?"

"Yes, fine just don't go all Gellar on him!"

Tristan laughed at the remark that Rory made.

"Mare, are you sure you are fine? You don't look fine."

"I am, I am just tired. Do you mind if we go?"

"Sure, see you tomorrow Paris, and Jess it was good talking to you."

Tristan shook Jess's hand. Paris and Jess both stood up, and Rory hugged them both.

"I will be by the hospital tomorrow to check on you and your grandmother," Jess said.

"Thanks, Jess, I will talk to you tomorrow."

Rory turned to Tristan and he helped her slip on her jacket. He put his hand on the small of her back and guided her out of the Pig's Eye. They walked to the parking lot, and he opened the door for her. She got in and buckled herself up. Tristan pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards her father's home. It was around ten pm. They sat quietly in the car ride home. Both of them thinking about this evening, she didn't want it to end and Rory wondered if he felt the same way. Finally Tristan arrives on the street where the Hayden's live. He pulls up into the driveway and puts the car in park. He turns towards her in his seat and looks over at her. The street light is shining through the window and he can see her beautiful face looking back at him. She is biting her bottom lip and he wants to reach out and trace her lip with his finger tip. He clears his throat and says, "Mare, I would like to see you again, but not as your doctor."

She smiled at him, "I would like that but…"

"But what?"

"Tris, I just made a stupid mistake with Logan. I don't want to make another one."

Taking her hands in his, he looked into her blue eyes and said, "I'm not Logan, and I am not going to hurt you."

"But what about all the other women?"

"What other women?"

"The nurses in the hospital, other female doctors?"

"Mare, I have not been in a serious relationship in a very long time. It is hard for me because of my career choice, and I am in the Navy. I could be deployed at any time."

"I don't' know if I'm ready?" she whispered looking up at him.

He looked at her face in the dim lights casting over them from the street lights, "Mary, I feel something, and I think you feel it too. We left things undone when I was sent away to Military School. I often wondered what would have happened if I stayed. Would we have dated? Would we both have gone to Harvard together? We were young, and maybe destiny brought us together now."

Rory turned her head away and looked out the car window. She did feel something she admits it to herself. Tonight Paris reminded her that Logan is looking for her, and she will have to confront him. Will she be able do that? Will she have the strength now to say goodbye to Logan again since she also told Finn and Robert goodbye? They had always been her closest confidants and she hadn't heard from either of them since they were together in New Hampshire.

"Tris, I do feel something, but I am afraid."

"Then we will take it slow. Sometimes things are better when you wait. Like you. I think I am getting a better version of you."

Tristan leaned in and brushed his lips across hers. She took her hand and placed it against his cheek leaning forward and kissing him back. They both responded, he pulled her closer, and he put his hand behind her head. She leaned in and wrapped her hand around his neck. She weaved her fingers through his hair. He pulled away and leaned his forehead on hers.

"Then we agree?" he asked her.

"That we will do it slowly?" she responded.

He smiled at her and nodded. She kissed him again. He let her go, and she opened her door and stepped out of the car. He waited by his car door as she walked around the back of the car.

They walked to the front door, and she opened it.

"Do you want to come in?" she asked him.

"No, I think I will go home and sleep. I am on duty tomorrow and my shift will start at 1 pm. I will come looking for you when I am on my rounds." He gently put his hands on her hips and pulled her close to him. 

"Get some rest, remember you are still healing. Your grandmother will be fine."

"Thanks, Tris."

He kissed her one more time then she turned and opened the front door. He walked to the car got in and slowly backed out of the driveway. She stood at the doorway and waved to him as he drove away. She quietly shut and locked the door, then went to her bedroom. She was exhausted, today felt like a full week had gone by, but in less than 24 hours, her grandmother had a heart attack, and she was now dating Tristan Dugray. She quickly changed into her favorite pajamas and crawled into her bed and fell asleep.

The next morning Rory awoke to her ring tone of her mother's voice, "Answer the phone, Rory. This is your mother.". She reached over to it and looked, it was eight am. When she saw the caller id, she realized it was her mother, and it wasn't a dream.

"Hello?"

"Loin fruit? Where are you? Luke and I got home at seven, and we have been walking all around the house looking for you. Luke wants you to meet us over at the diner for breakfast. I can't wait to see you."

"Oh, Hi mom. Umm I am at Dad's"

"Dad's? You mean Christopher's? What are you doing there?"

"Well it's a long story, but right now I can't leave. Grandma Francine is in the hospital, she had a heart attack and bypass surgery yesterday, so I am helping out with Gigi. Can you come here?"

"Yes, yes. Oh, okay. I will come over later. Which Hospital?"

"She's at Hartford General. I will be there around ten, ten thirty after I get Gigi off to school."

"Okay, I will see you then."

Christopher was sitting at his desk in the office in the house when his cell phone rang.

"Christopher Hayden," Chris answered never checking the caller ID.

"Christopher, I just spoke to Rory. Your mother, is she okay?"

"Hi Lor, she is going to be moved from ICU later today. It was a good thing Rory was here when it happened. She drove her to the hospital."

"Wait, Rory was at your house when it happened? How long has she been staying at your house?"

"Oh, she didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what? Chris. What's going on?"

"Listen, Lor, I've got to go. I will let Rory fill you in."

"Christopher, Christopher?" He hung up, and she stood there looking at her phone. Luke came behind her and kissed her on the back of her neck.

"Did you find Rory? Is she coming over to the diner?" He asked her. When she didn't answer right away he got concerned. "Lorelai, what's wrong?"

"I'm not sure. Christopher's mother is in the hospital and Rory's staying there. Christopher said if it weren't for her his mother would not have made it. I'm going over to the hospital later."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, go ahead and go over to the diner. I know you are anxious to check on it. I'll meet you at the diner for my breakfast then I'll go to the Inn before I leave for the hospital."

They kissed each other goodbye. Luke left and went to the diner and Lorelai went to get ready.

As Lorelai was leaving her home to go to the diner, Babette came out of her house.

"Welcome back doll. How was your trip? Have you spoken to Rory? How is she feeling after her operation?"

"What, operation?"

"Oh, you didn't know? I figured Lane called you. Yeah, she was rushed to the hospital a couple days after your wedding. We haven't seen her since."

Lorelai stood there in shock, she wondered what happened. The last thing Rory told her was that she was pregnant. No Rory wouldn't do that, would she?

"Listen, Babette, I've got to go. I'll talk to you later when I get back."

"Tell Rory we are thinking of her and hope she's doing better."

Lorelai quickly went into the diner. She looked around for Luke and saw Lane.

"Lorelai, welcome back."

Lane quickly gave her a hug before she picked up the dishes that were sitting on the back window and brought them to the couple sitting in the corner. Lorelai sat at the counter and Luke walked over to her with a cup of coffee and her pancakes. Lane came rushing back by the counter.

"Lane, do you have a moment?"

"Sure Lorelai, I'll be right there."

Lane came over and gave Lorelai a hug, "You look great. I can't wait to hear all about Fiji."

"It was beautiful. Have you talked to Rory?"

"Not since I went to Hartford last week to bring her things."

"Order up Lane," Luke yelled from the other side of the counter.

"Sorry Lorelai, I've got to go."

The diner was packed, and Lane rushed off to get her order. People came in, and soon all the tables were filled. Taylor walked in with Kirk and Lulu, and they sat at the counter beside Lorelai.

"Lorelai, we are glad your back. Do you know where Rory is? We haven't seen her since they took her in an ambulance two days after your wedding," Kirk asked.

Luke and Lorelai looked at each other.

"Rory is staying in Hartford with her dad. Christopher's mother was taken to the hospital," Lorelai replied.

"Then Rory is doing okay?" Miss Patty asked as she walked behind Lorelai at the counter where she was sitting.

"Oh yeah, I spoke to her this morning," Lorelai quickly replied not revealing that this was the first that she heard about an operation.

Lane walked by at that point, and Miss Patty asked her, "Lane dear, how is Rory doing?"

"She is feeling better. She can't drive for another week. Zac and I are going to see her later."

Lorelai grabbed her purse and kissed her husband goodbye. She said goodbye to the other people and walked outside. She took her phone out of her bag and dialed Rory's number, the phone went to voicemail. She left a message and got into her jeep. She drove to the Inn to check to make sure everything was going well. After quickly checking in with Michel and Sookie she left and headed for Hartford. She called Rory again and still didn't reach her. She headed towards Christopher's home and pulled in front of the house. She went to the door and rang the doorbell.

The door opened, and Christopher was standing at the door. "Lorelai, I wasn't expecting to see you until after you spoke to Rory."

"We need to talk. Where is Rory?"

"Rory left for the hospital already. I'm going over later to relieve her. My mom should be out of ICU today."

He poured her a cup of coffee, and they sat down at the kitchen table.

Lorelai looked at him and hesitated, but finally, she asked him the question that had been on her mind, "Chris why is Rory staying here? What happened while I was away?"


	11. Chapter 10 Dad Steps Up

**Chapter 10 Dad Steps Up**

Christopher called the car service and made the arrangements for a car to bring Rory over to the hospital. He wanted to stay home and finish some work before he went to the hospital. Rory arrived at the hospital the same time her mother had arrived at her father's house. Walking into the hospital, she was checking her phone for messages. There was a message from Jess telling her that he wanted to talk to her today. She glanced up and following the scent of the coffee shop in the lobby, she got in the que to get herself a cup of coffee. She quickly typed out a text to Jess.

 _ **Rory- Jess I'm at the hospital now. I can meet you here. My dad will be coming later to relieve me. R**_

She moved forward not realizing that she bumped into the person in front of her. Looking up she saw Dean and smiled, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you."

"Rory, that's okay. How are you feeling? Are you here for a checkup?"

"No, my grandmother is here. She should be out of ICU today. She had open heart surgery yesterday."

"Oh, I am so sorry to hear this. Please tell your Grandmother Gilmore, that I was asking about her."

"Oh, no Dean, it isn't my grandmother Emily, it's my father's mother, Grandmother Francine."

"Oh, aren't you staying with her?"

"Yes I am. So what brings you to the hospital? Are you working now?"

"No I am off duty. I came to see my sister, Clara."

"Oh, that's right, you did mention that she works here."

"Yes she is right over there?" he pointed to a table where a beautiful blonde was sitting. Rory realized she saw her at The Pigs Ear last night.

"Why don't you join us if you aren't in a hurry," he suggested.

"I'd like that since my grandmother is probably resting."

Dean moved up to the counter and placed his order than turned to Rory, "Ror, coffee with cream and sugar?" he asked her.

"Yes thank you, Dean, you remembered, ," she smiled at him.

The two of them walked to where you pick up the order, and he handed her the to go cup of coffee. He picked up the tray that had his order on it and they walked over to the table. Clara had been on her phone, and she looked up as they approached the table. Clara looked surprised and smiled, quickly standing up she hugged Rory.

"Rory? I can't believe it. You look amazing. Sit, sit."

Clara moved her purse from the chair beside her and Rory sat down. Dean took the chair beside Rory, and the three of them sat there and smiled for a few minutes.

"Clara, It has been at least thirteen years since I saw you. You were about twelve then?"

"Wow was it that long ago? What have you been doing?" Clara asked her as she opened up her breakfast sandwich that her brother brought over for her.

"Oh, up until recently I was a freelance journalist. Now I am not working."

Dean looked at Rory and cocked his head.

"Oh, you aren't going to stay in Stars Hollow?"

"No, there's no work for me there, and as you know, network and cell reception is bad there. It's like living in a bubble. I like it here in Hartford, and since I had my surgery, I had been staying with my Dad at my Grandmother's home. I guess it was a good thing too since I was there yesterday when my grandmother had a heart attack. I drove her here yesterday ."

"Rory you drove her here by yourself? You're lucky she didn't have any complications," Dean said looking concerned.

"I know, but it was faster than if I waited for the ambulance."

She then looked down realizing that it might have been Dean who got that call.

"Anyway, they expect her to make a full recovery."

Clara's phone buzzed, and she checked it. "Dean I have to go. My shift starts in five minutes, and I am working for the next 12 hours. I will call you when I get off the shift." She got up and hugged her brother. Then she hugged Rory.

"Rory, it is so good to see you again. Maybe we can meet for lunch sometime and catch up."

"That will be great. It was good seeing you too, Clara."

Dean stood and kissed his sister on the cheek. Rory decided she should leave so she stood up too.

"Come on, I will go with you to your grandmother's floor," Dean said.

"Dean, no really, that's okay," she replied.

"No I want to, I haven't seen you in a while, so maybe we can talk."

"Alright." They walked together toward the blue elevator. She held onto her coffee cup taking small sips as they walked. The elevator stopped, and they got on.

"Do you know which floor?" he asked her.

"The ICU, it's the 11th floor I think."

"Yes, Bliss Floor. It is a nice unit. I visited a few of my firefighter buddies here. The nurses are top notch on this floor."

"I can't believe you went into this line of work." She looked at him and smiled. He wore his hair longer now, the back hanging on his collar and his eyes were still that light greenish brown. He was very muscular, and she smiled when she remembered how he looked the first time they made love. He was her first lover. Logan was the second man she slept with. How different they were from each other, she was so inexperienced when she was first with Logan.

"You've changed," Rory said smiling up at him.

"I hope so, I am older."

"No, you have more confidence. You seem happy."

"I am, I guess. But I am lonely too."

"Really? Do you miss your family?"

The elevator pinged, and they walked out onto Bliss 11, the hallway on this floor was painted a cream color, and the floor was polished. In front of them to the right was a custodian waxing the floor and his yellow sign blocked their way to her grandmother's room. Rory looked around confused at first. Dean touched her arm and showed her another way around the floor. Dean and Rory walked down a different hall, and Rory noticed that her grandmother's room was closer. They entered the fourth room where her grandmother was in. She looked so small and frail lying in bed with her dark black and gray hair lying spread out on her pillow.

"I guess I do. Is that your grandmother?" He looked at the name tag on the door. Hayden, the name sounded familiar, but he wasn't sure why. He would have to ask his sister. They stood outside the room and looked through the window at her grandmother. There was a nurse there checking on her vitals, so they waited by the door.

Rory nodded. "She is resting I guess, but at least the tube is out of her mouth. I guess that is a good sign."

"Yes it is. It means that she is breathing on her own. Would you like me to wait with you?"

"Don't you have to go to work?"

"No, today I am off duty at the Fire House, and the bar doesn't open till 4pm. By the way, did you enjoy your dinner last night?"

"Yes I did, the food was good."

Dean smiled at her and noticed a strand of her hair was hanging in her face and gently pushed it away and tucked it behind her ear. She blushed and put her head down. April the nurse who liked Tristan walked out of her grandmother's room.

"Hello,, Dean, and Miss Hayden. Your grandmother is doing better. You can go in now."

"Hello April, thank you," Dean replied.

Dean opened the door for them, and they walked inside, standing by her grandmother's bed, and she picked up her hand. Dean stood at the doorway and watched her.

"Grandma, I'm here, it's Rory."

The woman stirred, and her eyes fluttered open. "Rory? Is that really you?"

"Yes Grandma, I'm here. Dad will be here shortly, and Gigi will come after school."

"No, no don't bring Gigi. It's not a place for her. Rory, I need to ask you something."

"Sure grandma. What can I do?"

"Do you forgive me?"

Rory leaned over and kissed her grandmother's forehead. "Grandma there is nothing to forgive."

"Rory, your father, he needs you. Will you promise to be there to help him. I want you to help him with the business and your sister. Gigi is not as smart as you are. You are like Straub, quick, smart, curious, well read, and you have a sharp mind. Your writing is amazing. Promise that you will not let the Huntzberger Family try to take over my company. They always thought that you were not good enough for their son. But I knew better. He didn't deserve him. Find someone better, I know there is someone out there better than him."

Rory was surprised when she heard that, "Of course grandma I won't."

"Good. I knew you did the right thing when you said no to the Huntzbergers son."

"Grandma, how did you know about that?"

"Your father told me. I want you to find a good man, someone with a strong, honest character who will treat you with respect. The Huntzberger men don't know how to treat a woman with respect."

Dean stood against the door and listened. Huntzbergers. Was Rory involved with the son of the paper tycoon Mitchum Huntzberger? Dean looked at Rory he always thought he knew everything about her, but she must be full of secrets.

Dean had met her father before at the Debutante Ball that he escorted her too, but he never knew her father's last name, he just assumed it was Gilmore. Rory squeezed her grandmother's hand and looked over at Dean. He gave her a weak smile.

"I'm so tired, dear, so I am going to go to sleep. Will you be here when I wake up?"

"Yes, grandmother I will be here by your bed."

"Good."

Her grandmother closed her eyes and went back to sleep. Rory looked up and noticed the television was on. She turned and looked out the door and Dean walked in. He moved the big chair over to her, so she could sit on it and be close to her grandmother. Looking around the single room he found the folding chair and brought it over to her and sat beside her.

"Rory, what was your grandmother talking about? Were you involved with a Huntzberger?"

"Yes, but we broke up."

"Is this the same guy who just announced his engagement to a French Heiress and model?"

"How would you know that?"

He pointed to the TV screen that was on. The television was set for NBC and the Hoda and Kathy Lee show was on. Sitting there at their table with their signature glass of wine in front of them, Hoda Kopb and Kathy Lee Gifford were talking about Logan Huntzberger, the most eligible bachelor in the US and son of Mitchum Huntzberge.

"Have you heard Kathy, that he is no longer available?" Hoda asked Kathy Lee.

"What are you talking about Hoda?"

A video clip of Logan walking arm in arm with a beautiful dark-haired girl in a black and white striped suit with gold buttons appeared on the screen. She was clinging to his arm as they left a restaurant that Logan had often taken Rory too. The two of them stopped and looked at the cameras, they posed, and then they turned and walked to the waiting car holding hands. Across the screen came the words Logan Huntzberger just popped the question to French Heiress and model Odette Chania, and she said YES.

"Well we will have to have them on our show. This is big news. The young CEO of the HPG Publishing company will definitely have one spectacular wedding," Kathy exclaimed.

"Do you think that they will have it here?"

"I don't know, you know his family lives in Hartford," Kathy Lee said. Then a commercial came across the screen.

"So that is what she looks like," Rory said forgetting that she wasn't alone in the room.

"You don't seem surprised." Rory quickly looked up at Dean and then shook her head.

"No, I'm not. It was over a long time ago," she mumbled and quickly changed the subject. "Let's talk about you. So do you have anyone special in your life since Lindsay?"

"Ror, Lindsay was a mistake. When we broke up, I started to date her. I thought she was what I wanted then whenever I saw you I knew that I was in love with you. I should have listened to Luke. He told me not to marry Lindsay. Then we got back together but it was hard with you in college, and it took forever for my annulment with Lindsay. The night that I went to pick you up at your Grandmothers, I saw you with all your friends from Yale."

Dean paused then looked back up at the TV screen and then at her, "Wait a minute, no wonder he looks familiar."

"What are you talking about Dean. You know him? 

"No but that Huntzberger guy on the news, he was just here. He came into the Pig's Ear looking for you. Did you know that?"

"When?"

"When you were in the hospital. I thought he looked familiar. You just said you broke up a long time ago. If so, why did he come looking for you?"

"It's a long story, I don't want to talk about it."

"So it's still pretty new?"

"What?"

"Your break up."

"Yes, It's complicated."

"Rory, how complicated? Why did he come looking for you?"

Rory sighed and looked at Dean, trying not to cry. She was still very emotional so trying to control her voice she said, "We broke up at my graduation from Yale. I joined the Obama Campaign trail as a journalist, and I became a free lance journalist. I was traveling, and over a year ago we ran into each other in Hamburg. Logan and I had lunch, but the feelings we had were still there, yet I still was afraid to trust him. So we decided to have a no strings relationship… a Vegas relationship."

"Vegas? What is that? You didn't trust him, but you were willing to start another relationship with him. How does that work this Vegas and no strings.."

"Well it was, is… I don't know. You see it's complicated."

"What about you and Jess. I saw you with him last night."

"Jess and I are close friends. He is my cousin now. Mom married Luke."

"Really? I never thought that would happen."

"You didn't?"

"No, Luke and I…"

Dean's phone rang, and he looked down. "Excuse me, Rory, I have to take the call."

Dean walked out of her grandmother's room and took his call. He came back in and said, "Listen I have to go. It was the firehouse. One of the guys went home sick, so I am going to cover for him until the replacement comes in.. Can I see you again sometime?"

"Yes, I would like that?"

He stood up and walked over to her. She stood up too and then he leaned down and gently kissed her on the forehead. April was walking by at that moment and saw Dean kiss her. April smirked, she thought to herself, maybe there wasn't anything between this Miss Hayden and Doc. Dean left and took the blue elevator down stairs. Just as he got on the one going down, the elevator next to him came up and out walked Chris and Lorelai.

Rory was sitting in the chair in her grandmother's room and had changed the channel. She began watching reruns of the tv show Supernatural. Rory had caught a few of these shows at home last week, and she thought that the actor who played Dean on the show was very handsome. Rory looked at the character named Sam and felt that he looked like someone she knew, but she couldn't place him. She looked at her grandmother and saw that she was resting comfortably, so she sank down in the seat to watch TV. She looked up when the door slid open and saw her father walk in and behind her was her mother.

Happy to see them she stood up and said, "Hey mom, I am so glad your back. I missed you." She hugged her mom. She then turned to her dad and gave him a hug.

"How is she, Ror?"

"Good she woke up about thirty minutes ago and we talked, but she went back to sleep."

Pulling her aside, Christopher said, "Rory, I think you need to talk to your mom. Tell her what happened."

"Can we go into a different room?" Rory asked them. Christopher nodded yes, and they walked to the private lounge with a meditation garden, so they put their coats on and went out there. In the garden was a quiet greenhouse, and they walked in. The greenhouse was filled with beautiful flowers and plants, they could smell the fragrant flowers and they walked over to the benches inside and the three of them took a seat.

Lorelai looked at her daughter and took her hand, "Rory, the day we left you told me that you thought you were pregnant. Then when I called you, you said you weren't."

Rory looked up to the ceiling of the greenhouse fighting back tears. The news of seeing Logan's fiancée on tv today, her grandmother's open-heart surgery and the loss of the pregnancy was making her feel very emotional.

"Mom, Dad." Rory took in a big breath and then continued, "Logan and I had been seeing each other for the last year and a half."

"Wait, you and Logan? So you saw Logan in London." Lorelai said.

"Yes mom, Logan was in London, Logan was Deedee."

"Deedee?" Christopher said surprised, "She isn't a girl?!"

"Yes Dad I was staying with Logan…"

"Why Rory all this time when you were flying back and forth to London you were seeing Logan. You weren't working Rory, why didn't you just tell me?" Lorelai asked her.

"Mom I was working but it was complicated, and I couldn't tell you. I knew you never trusted him."

"Yes I never did trust him. You know he is engaged to an heiress now don't you?" Lorelai responded sarcastically.

"Lor, let her talk." Chris took Rory's hand and gently squeezed it.

"I broke up with him in May when I came back home, but he came back in September while you were away, and he took me to New Hampshire. I told him that it was over then, and he left. I didn't know then, but he left something else behind."

"A baby? Rory, you didn't have an abor..."

"No mom, I had an ectopic pregnancy, that is why I collapsed on the street and almost bled to death, but luckily Lane found me and called 911. The ambulance brought me here and Tristan, Dr. Dugray operated and saved my life."

"Wait. Dugray, Tristan as in Bible Boy, Spawn of Satan, he saved you?" Surprised at this Lorelai said, "Wait, he left Chilton when you were juniors. He's a doctor now? Who would have thought?"

"Yes, mom I am okay, but I have three to four more weeks of healing, and I wasn't allowed to be home alone. So Dad made sure that I stayed here. I like it here, and I am going to stay. I am close enough to visit Stars Hollow, plus the internet and reception are a lot better here."

"Is it really over between you and Logan?" Lorelai asked her.

"Mom you told me the night I turned Logan down,that 'someday you will meet someone. You won't want to hesitate, and you will know. I know now that I can't trust Logan. I have given him too many chances. While we were back together, he was dating his fiancée, actually cheating on her with me. I looked at myself in the mirror and asked myself what is wrong with me? I could hear Jess in my head saying, you are better than this Rory, better than him. Mom, I know that there is someone out there for me. I can't let Logan Huntzberger keep my heart trapped anymore. I have to move on. Who knows maybe I already know him."

Lorelai looked at her daughter and saw that her blue eyes were glassy with the tears that she was holding back. Lorelai sadly reached her arms out and pulled her daughter into an embrace. She almost lost her baby, her daughter. They hugged and cried and held onto each other. Christopher sat there and watched. Rory moved away and then went and hugged her father.

"I love you, Mom and Dad."

"I love you too kiddo. You will find that person, and I am glad you realized you are better than that," Christopher told her kissing her on the top of her head.

"Dad, grandma told me that you need my help. How can I help you?"

"Yes, Ror, I do need your help. I was wondering if you could work at Hayden Publishing."

"What are you talking about Chris?" Lorelai asked him looking over at the two of them. "Isn't the publishing house in London?"

"I need someone I can trust to work with me, we have acquired some new publishing houses. I feel Rory would be able to handle them. She could start as an editor and work her way up. Mom would like her to be on the board eventually for the Hayden Corporation. How do you feel about that, Kiddo?" Christopher asked her.

"I don't know. I guess it will be okay. But dad I'm a writer, I don't know anything about publishing."

"That's okay, you have time to learn. We will go slow, and you can decide after the first of the year.

"Mom, Dad, will you promise me that you won't say anything about the ectopic pregnancy? I don't want it to get back to Logan."

"We promise."

Chris and Lorelai stood up to leave the green house, but Rory hesitated.

"Mom, Dad, I think I want to stay here for a few more minutes. I have a lot to think about."

"Okay Kiddo, we will meet you in Mom's room."

Rory hugged them both, and they walked out and went to Francine's room. She was waking up when Chris and Lorelai walked in.

Sitting quietly in the meditation garden, Rory pulled her wool coat tightly around her. She turned around when she heard a voice behind her.

"It's a little cold to be out here."

Looking at the doorway she stood up and smiled when she saw Tristan standing there.

"Not if you wear a coat. Where's yours?"

"I'm hot blooded, I don't need one."

"Oh, well I will share mine," she said and walked over to Tristan opening up her coat. He slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her close to him and kissed her.

"Hey, I was afraid I wouldn't see you today. Are you okay?"

"Yes, my mom is here with my dad, and they are visiting my grandma. I am much better now that you are here kissing me."

"Glad I could help."

"Yeah, so am I. Let's go inside. Are you on your rounds?"

"No, I am in between surgeries so I came up here hoping I would see you."

They walked inside and headed back side by side to her grandmother's room. April was standing at the nurse's station watching them. She didn't get it; this Miss Hayden had the hottest EMT and Doctor in Hartford chasing her. Just then Tristan's name was being paged.

Reaching out he took her hand in his. "Listen I have to go. If I don't see you before you leave, I will call you." She nodded and squeezed his hand

"Okay, I will talk to you later."

He quickly left, and she walked into the hospital room where her mom and dad were sitting by her grandmother's bed..

They sat quietly visiting with her grandmother. Lorelai looked at her daughter and said, "I have to get back to the Inn."

"Okay, Mom I will call you later, and as soon as I get cleared from the doctor to drive, I will come back to see you."

"What about Thanksgiving?"

"Well, we can talk about that later, okay?" she asked her mother.

"Okay, Ror. Listen to your father and get some rest. You look too skinny."

"I will. I love you mom."

"I love you too kid. Chris? Thanks for looking out for our girl."

"Of course Lorelai. I won't let anything bad ever happen to her. I promise."


	12. Chapter 11 Crossing Paths

**Chapter 11 Crossing Paths**

Just before lunch, Francine was transferred out of ICU to a private room in the wing called Bliss Critical Care. While they moved her, Rory and Christopher went to the deli to have some lunch. As Rory and her father got off the elevator, they saw a nurse's aide carry a large bouquet of flowers into Francine's room. The aide placed the flowers on the bedside table next to her grandmother's bed. Chris and Rory walked into the room as the nurse's aide left.

"Wow Mom! Do you have a secret admirer that I don't know about?" Christopher teased her.

"No, what are you talking about?"

"These, grandma," Rory responded pointing to the flowers on the bedside table. "The aide just brought in a large bouquet of white lilies."

Rory moved the bouquet of white lilies in a glass urn shaped container so that Francine could see them. Francine turned her head and looked over at the flowers making a face.

"Now who would have sent me white lilies. Everyone who knows me, knows how I detest that flower. Rory do you know who they are from? 

Rory looked at the flowers and moved them around until she found the card, she read the card to herself first then looked at her father. "Oh, how?"

"What's wrong, dear? Would you read it for me, I don't know where my glasses are."

"Yes, I can do that." Smiling at her grandmother, she sat beside her and began to read the message on the card.

"It says wishing you a speedy recovery. We hope you will be home soon. Mitchum and Shira Huntzberger."

Francine glared at the flowers. "Hmph! It figures they would send me white lilies. You know, Christopher I don't like those people. Never have. Mitchum has always been so deceiving. You know he put his father in a nursing home and doesn't even go and see him? He has a beautiful daughter and grandchildren that he doesn't pay any attention too.

Just look at that flower arrangement. It looks like something that you would send to a funeral parlor. I am not ready to meet my maker yet. I bet that Mitchum is hoping that I drop dead. He and his son will swoop in and try to purchase my company."

"Grandma, please don't get so excited." Rory put her hand gently on top of her grandmothers. "We will take care of the flowers."

Rory looked at her father and was surprised to hear her grandmother's remarks about the Huntzbergers. She always assumed that they were friends and that she liked them as much as her Grandmother Emily did.

Looking at her son she said, "Chris, how would they know I was here?"

"Sorry mom, I was in a meeting with Logan Huntzberger when I got the call about you. I told him I had to leave because you were being rushed to the hospital."

"Hmm, well, I guess you had to say something when you left the meeting. Why were you meeting with his son instead of Mitchum?"

"Mitchum asked me if it would be okay if Logan met with me since he was here visiting friends after returning from a trip in the Caribbean. This way Mitchum wouldn't have to postpone his meeting since he was back in England. Logan was returning to London this weekend, so we scheduled the meeting for yesterday morning."

Rory looked at her father and then her grandmother.

"Dad, why were you meeting with the Huntzbergers anyway? Does HPG use your law offices?" she asked her father. She was worried that her father had said something to him about her.

"Well technically they do, since McCray's merged with us about four years ago. But this meeting has to do with the publishing companies that your grandfather bought many years ago and that your grandmother now owns. They are under a different department in our company. Sometime soon we will talk about this."

Rory looked over at her father concerned that Logan might ask him about her. Deciding she didn't want to have a conversation about Logan in front of her grandmother, she changed the subject. "I will put the flowers on the window sill. That way they won't be taking up so much space on your bedside table."

Rory picked up the flowers and walked over putting the flowers on the window sill. Looking out of the window she decided that she needed to leave. Her grandmother had closed her eyes and fell asleep again. She went over to her father and put her hand on his shoulder, "Dad, do you mind if I go home? I am tired, and I think I want to rest."

"No kiddo I don't mind. Would you like me to call for a car?"

"No thank you Dad, I will call for an Uber, when grandma wakes up tell her I will be back later tonight." She leaned over the bed and kissed her grandmother on the cheek. She hugged and kissed her father's cheek. Chris grabbed her hand and held it. "Rory, thank you."

"Dad, you don't need to thank me. I am here for both of you. This is where I belong." She squeezed his hand and smiling walked out of the room.

Rory stood in front of the blue elevator waiting for it to arrive. Looking around the floor she noticed April walking towards her. Rory smiled at her.

"I see you get around?" April said to Rory looking at her with contempt.

Rory looked at her raising her eyebrows in confusion. "What are you talking about? I'm up here visiting my grandmother, Francine Hayden. She had open heart surgery, and she was transferred to a private room."

"Your visiting your grandmother, Francine Hayden?"

"Yes."

"So your last name is Hayden?

"Yes, Gilmore – Hayden to be specific. Why?"

"So you are related to the Haydens. Why haven't I met you before?"

"Maybe because I have been living in England. I came back to the area in May. How do you know the Haydens?"

"Everyone knows the Haydens they are one of the wealthiest families in Hartford. So how do you know Doc?"

"Doc?"

"Yes Doctor Dugray."

"Oh you mean Tristan. He performed emergency surgery on me a few weeks ago and we went to high school together, but that really isn't any of your business."

The elevator chimed, and the door opened. Rory got in and pressed the button for the lobby. April looked at Rory but didn't get on the elevator with her.

April was surprised to know that she went to school with Tristan. April had a cousin that went to Chilton Prep. She herself, had to go to the public high school since her father could no longer afford to send her to the private schools after he divorced her mother. April decided to give her cousin Louise a call. Louise was married to a State Senator and lives now in Washington DC. Maybe she could give her some information about Lorelai Hayden.

Rory got off the elevator on the lobby floor and began to walk towards the entrance. She stopped when she noticed Shira Huntzberger directing some women who were putting up a banner.

The banner read: **Hartford General Hospital** **Annual and Winter Carnival and Winter Ball** **,** **November 30,** **December 1 and 2** **. Sponsored by Hartford General Hospital Auxiliary.**

Rory walked over to the side wall and stood next to a plant hoping that Shira Huntzberger would not see her and watched the group of women work. Rory realized that she recognized the lady that Shira was talking too. It was Natalie Swopes, a friend of her grandmother Emily's. Rory had worked with her, and her grandmother on many DAR Committee functions when Rory, lived at her grandmothers home. Rory knew that Natalie would recognize her, and Rory didn't want Shira to know that she was in Hartford for fear she would tell Logan. Rory looked around for another way to leave the lobby when she heard someone calling her name. It was Erika, one of the nurses from the ER who treated her while she was a patient.

"Hi Lorelai, how are you feeling? Are you here for your check up?"

"I'm feeling good, Erika. I stopped to see my grandmother who had surgery, and I am on my way home. What's going on over there?" she asked her.

"Every year the Woman's Hospital Auxiliary puts on a Winter Carnival and Craft Fair. It is the weekend after Thanksgiving. This year it will be Nov 30, Dec. 1 and Dec. 2."

"That sounds like fun. I bet they have a lot of people who attend."

"Yes they do and this year they hope to raise more money, so they added two special booths. Last year they raised money for the cardiac unit and they had a bachelor auction. So this year in order to build the new NICU unit, they decided to do something different."

"Wow, I didn't know that the hospital raised money for projects like that. I thought it came from grants."

"It does but they also need private donations and since the private donors are aging they decided the community should be more involved. This is a teaching hospital and more and more of the community comes here. So this year the committee decided to add two new booths… Kissing Booths. They will have two kissing booths, one is being sponsored by the EMTs and the others by the nurses at the NICU. They have a bet going on to see which one will raise the most money. It was Clara Forester's idea. "

"It sounds like fun, and what a great way to raise money **;** this should get a lot of great PR for the hospital when the story is published. "

"If you are going to be around you should stop by. It is usually a lot of fun, plus we have some of the "hottest" men that will be in the Kissing Booths this year."

"Oh really? Who is that?"

"One is the EMT that brought you in, but maybe you haven't met him yet, he is Clara's brother Dean Forester. He is hot, if I weren't engaged, I would definitely do him."

Rory laughed at that thinking of Dean as a sex object. She smiled remembering their first time in her single bed and then her mother walking in the house. She hadn't thought about that memory in a very long time.

"And the other?"

"Oh, Clara convinced "Doc Hottie" and Doctor McSteamy. to be in the booth."

"Doc Hottie and Doctor McSteamy?" Rory asked her laughing. "Really you have two doctors like that here?"

"Of course. Dr. Dugray, and Dr. Whyles. Have you met Doctor Whyles yet? He is so handsome." Erika said pretending to fan herself.

Rory stifled a laugh when she heard Erika refer to Tristan as Dr. Hottie. It shouldn't surprise her since he always had a harem of girls following him when he went to Chilton. It probably is still happening here.

"Oh wait, here comes Dr. Whyles now, you can meet him for yourself. Doctor Whyles?"

Ethan smiled when he heard his name and noticed that Erika, his favorite nurse in the ER, was talking to a beautiful brunette. Giving them his best sexy smile he walked over to them.

"Erika, are you on your break?"

"Yes, just started when I ran into a former patient of ours. Dr. Whyles, this is Lorelai Hayden and Lorelai this is Dr. Whyles."

"Hi Lorelai, you look familiar, do I know you?"

Rory gave him a big grin trying not to laugh.

"Oh no, I don't think we have met."

"Are you sure? Your name is Lorelai Hayden, like in the Hayden wing at this hospital. I have met them before since I am chief of the ER. Are you sure we never met maybe at a dinner or a party?"

Rory smiled at him, well he was impressed with her last name, she wondered what he would think when he found out that she was also a Gilmore.

"Yes, I'm sure. I just moved back last spring from London,"

"Well, it is an honor to meet you, Lorelai. You don't mind if I call you Lorelai do you?"

"No, you can call me Lorelai, Dr. Whyles." She smirked when she said this.

"Lorelai, what a beautiful name, and my name is Ethan," he told her searching her face and admiring her blue eyes. He had taken her hand in his and held on to it. Rory smiled at him and gently pulled her hand away. Rory laughed thinking that this was a classic Finn move. Winking at her Ethan said, "I hope I get to see you again soon." He then turned around and walked over to stand in line at Starbucks.

Rory watched him leave and grinned shaking her head. So many times she had watched Finn and Colin flirt with a girl like this. But Ethan reminded her more of Logan. He had the same privileged, cocky, and arrogant attitude that Logan possess. He even had his swagger. Rory had to admit that he is handsome with his short dark hair and neatly trimmed beard that surrounded his pink lips but there were a few differences. He held himself more erect and seemed to have more authority in his voice, something that Logan lacked. She knew that he was aware the she was watching him, so he flirted with the Barista getting his order a head of the other people in line and turned and winked at her again. Yes, he was like Logan and in a way like Tristan. She shivered, nope she was not going to get involved with a man like that again. She turned and looked at Erika when she realized that Erika was still talking to her.

"Yes, that is Dr. Whyles, and like he said, he was recently made chief of the ER. He, Doc and Dr. Ross, the cardiologist are all close friends. Some of the nurses like to call Dr. Ross, Doctor McDreamy because of his bedroom eyes. He has the kindest eyes of any of the doctors that work here. Ever since the three doctors began their residency here, they have become the three musketeers. You always see them together. So Clara convinced the three of them to be in the Kissing Booth that the nurses are sponsoring.

"Wow, now that sounds interesting. Who is in the other Kissing Booth with Clara's brother?" Rory asked Erika.

"Mac Dean's partner and also Clay Evans. Both Mac and Clay are very sexy. Have you ever seen the Fireman Calendar? All three men are in next year's calendar, and I heard they will be selling them. They already have sold out of their pre orders, and they are now having more printed up to sell at the carnival. And boy can those men kiss. Last year they had an auction to raise money, and I won the date with Dean."

Rory started laughing trying to picture Dean without his shirt and posing for a calendar and standing on stage being auctioned off for an evening. She remembered the picnic basket auction and how he and Jess fought over her picnic basket. She shook her head and turned to see if it was safe for her to leave. Shira moved away from the women and had cornered Dr. Whyles. They had their backs to where she was standing so she thought it would be a good time to move.

"Erika. I think I better leave; my ride will be here soon. It was nice running into you again. Thank you for all your help and information about the Winter Carnival. I think I just might come and check it out. "

Rory said goodbye and quickly walked on the other side of the lobby and immediately headed toward the door. As she reached the revolving glass doors, she heard her phone ping letting her know that the Uber had arrived. Rory promptly walked out the lobby door, and the Valet that was on staff at the hospital opened the car door for her and she got in. Rory gave the driver the address to her grandmother's home and the car drove off.

Dr. Whyles noticed Rory leave the hospital and watched. He turned to Shira and smiled.

"Mrs. Huntzberger, you know most of the families here in Hartford, correct."

Smiling at the handsome doctor, she replied, "Yes, I do, all the important ones, that is." Ethan smiled at her and knew her type. She was a snob and thought she was more important than anyone else.

"I was wondering, how well do you know the Hayden's?"

"Straub and Francine? When my mother in law was alive, she was close friends with Mrs. Hayden; and my husband, Mitchum, you know that he is the CEO of HPG, does business with their son Christopher. Why do you ask."

"I am just curious. I just met a Miss Hayden, a relative of hers from England."

"Oh really? Is she still here? I would love to meet her."

"I just saw her leave. I was just wondering if you knew if she was single." Shira glanced at the door but didn't see anyone she knew.

"Well, I don't see anyone I recognize. Maybe if you see her again, you can point her out to me. I know that Christopher has a daughter, but she is only eleven or twelve years old.

Ethan smile, "No problem, Mrs. Huntzberger. It is good seeing you again, and I am looking forward to participating this year in the kissing booth fund raiser. I am sure we will raise a lot of money for the NICU unit."

Shira smiled at the handsome doctor and placed her hand on his arm. "I am sure we will. We have such handsome men in the kissing booth this year."

Ethan smiled and then walked over to the Starbucks cafe where he saw Erika sitting at a table. "Erika, do you mind if I joined you?"

"No, not at all."

Ethan sat down across from Erika with the black espresso he was sipping on while he was talking to Shira.

"What can you tell me about that ravishing Miss Lorelai Hayden."

"Dr. Whyles, the reason why she looked familiar to you was because she was a patient of ours a few weeks ago. I didn't think you paid much attention to her when she arrived in the ER. You never even looked at her name. You immediately had me page Dr. Gellar who happens to be a good friend of hers. And last night, I saw her with both Dr. Gellar and Dr. Dugray at the Pigs Ear."

"She knows Doc and Paris?" he asked surprised.

"Yes, according to Cassie they went to high school together. I know that she is coming back later, because her grandmother is here."

"Huh, Doc knows her? I wonder why he hasn't mentioned it to me."

"Maybe they are dating? I don't know, but I saw them dancing together at the Pig's Ear."

He nodded his head wondering why Tristan hadn't mentioned her to him. Erika looked up and noticed Dr. Ross and Dr. Dugray were heading towards the Star Bucks Café.

Ethan noticed them too and waved them over, "We have room here," he told them.

"Dr. Whyles I have to go," Erika said as she stood up and smiled at the two doctors that were walking toward their table. She said hello to both Tristan and Connor and headed back over to the ER since her break was almost over.

The men ordered their drinks, from the Barista and since Tristan had surgery in an hour, he chose a green protein smoothie instead of the coffee.

"Hey Doc, Erika just introduced me to a friend of yours."

"Oh?" Tristan raised his eyebrows at him.

"Yes, a stunning woman, with beautiful blue eyes, a classmate of yours from high school. I think her name is Lorelai Hayden. Have you been keeping her all to yourself? How come we haven't met her before."

"Because I saw her for the first-time last week when she landed on my operating table. I hadn't seen her since we were sixteen years old and we were at Chilton together."

Connor looked at him and said, "Wait, Chilton Prep. You were in military school."

"I did my last year and a half in Military School before I went to college. Before that, I went to Chilton Prep, here in Hartford with Paris and Mare."

"Was she a stunner back then?" Ethan asked him.

"Thee.. Mare?" Connor asked him.

"Yeah, Connor. She was smart too. Paris told me she graduated Valedictorian of our class. If I had stayed, she would have had to compete with me for that title."

"Did you two date?" Connor asked.

Tristan put his elbow on the table and leaned on his face on his hand as he continued to tell them about his memory of Rory.

"No, but I wanted too. She transferred to Chilton in our sophomore year. The new girl, and she was the whole package, sweet, innocent and beautiful, plus she was smart and drove Paris nuts. Paris didn't like her at first in fact most of the girls were intimidated by her and she hand no idea. She was so innocent, and she was dating someone from Stars Hollow at the time."

Tristan thought back to Rory in her Chilton uniform and smirked. He wondered if she still had that uniform and what she would look like in it now. I bet she would fill out that sweater nicely.

"Hey Doc," Ethan said, " I just asked you if she is single?"

Tristan sat back in his chair and crossed his ankles. "Why?"

"Well, Erika said that she saw you two last night at the Pigs Ear. I was wondering if you are dating. If not I think I will ask her out."

"Sorry, but I have plans to see her again."

"You didn't waste any time," Ethan said to Tristan.

"And you are engaged," Tristan said to him finishing his smoothie and standing up to leave.

"Yeah that's right. What is going on with you and Aubrey?" Connor asked.

"Listen, Aubrey isn't here, and she wanted to stay in Chicago. We have an arrangement and if I need someone to keep me warm in those cold New England nights then I can go ahead and find someone to keep me warm."

"Sorry, but Mare's not like that nor is she going to be available. She doesn't cheat." Tristan said and left the table tossing his cup into the basket as he walked by.

Connor looked at Ethan, "Is she really that good looking? His type?"

"Yes, there is something about her. She seems very smart and yet has a beautiful smile and her face lights up, and those big blue eyes are the color of the Atlantic Ocean."

"So she is the blonde, blue-eyed model, his usual type?" Connor asked.

"No totally not his type at all, brunette, nice figure, very articulate, but there is something about her, a vulnerability. More your type Connor."

"Huh, I'll have to check her out. What did you say her name was?"

"Lorelai, Lorelai Hayden. But Tristan called her something different."

"Yes, I noticed that too. Oh, I'm being paged for a consult. See you later."


	13. Chpater 12 Confessions

**Chapter 12 Confession**

Connor left the cafe leaving Ethan sitting there thinking about Lorelai Hayden and how he could ask her out on a date. He knew that Tristan implied that he was taking her out, but Ethan decided that Tristan always got the girl and he could use some competition. However, Ethan wasn't the only one thinking about Rory Gilmore that day.

Logan was back in his flat in England wondering if Rory had heard about the engagement yet. He was beside himself with worry when he heard that she had to go to the hospital. Logan wanted to call her father and ask him for her phone number, but then remembering that they were not very close, he decided it wouldn't be a good idea. Christopher probably didn't know that they had been dating again anyway. Looking at her photograph on his phone, Logan thought back to the last time he held her in his arms, in the Inn in New Hampshire. Why didn't she tell him to marry her instead...now his fate was sealed with Odette. He wondered if she regretted saying goodbye, as much as he did. Logan, looking at the clock on his computer, noticed the time. It was seven pm, he should leave the office, but instead, he picked up the phone and dialed Finn.

"Morgan here," Finn responded on the first ring.

"Where are you, Finn?"

"At my father's bloody office on Fifth Ave. in Manhattan. What's up mate?"

"Have you found Rory yet?"

"No, not yet. I have checked all the hospitals in the Hartford area, and no one that fits her description has been admitted to any of the hospitals. There was a Hayden who is an elderly woman that was admitted yesterday with a heart attack."

"That's her grandmother, I wonder if she will go and visit her. Is Colin in Hartford?"

"I don't know. The last time I heard from Colin, he was busy working on an inheritance case. When I called him, he told me that he was busy, and he couldn't talk. He wanted to meet later for drinks. Hopefully, I will see him before I leave for the west coast." Finn heard a buzz and looked at his computer. It was a reminder for his next meeting.

"Logan, I will call you later. I have a meeting shortly with my agent. If I get this role, I won't have to spend any more time here in Manhattan, and I can go back to California. Laters."

Logan looks at his phone and ends his call with Finn and smiles. Finn hates the cold at this time of the year in New York, and he doesn't blame him. Logan really hopes that his friend will get the job in California, at least the weather will be a lot warmer there than it is here or in Hartford. Logan moves his mouse on his computer, and it wakes up. He opens the folder that was labeled Hayden Corp., looking through it he decides that this was going to be his pet project. As he rereads the documents, Logan realizes that if they purchase these companies, he could hire Rory to work as one of the VP's. If he does that, then he could go through with the wedding as his family planned. They would have the money they need to update the companies, and they could finally be together. Logan quickly sends a message to Colin and his dad.

 _ **Logan – Dad, taking the plane back to Hartford in a few days. I have an idea how to get the publishing companies. L**_

 _ **Colin – get the guys together. I will be returning to Hartford in a few days. L**_

The Uber driver dropped Rory off in front of her house, using her key she walked in the front door.

"Eunice, I'm back," she yelled. She walked into the kitchen and noticed that Eunice wasn't there. She wrote her a message telling her that she was home and that she was going to take a nap in her room.

Rory walked into her bedroom and quickly removed her black leather biker jacket and her black leather heeled boots and set them in her closet. She took off her cardigan and slipped into her favorite oversized long sleeve t-shirt, then removed her skinny black jeans and pulled on her favorite black sweatpants. Rory climbed into her bed and pulled the blankets over her shoulders. She snuggled deep under the blankets as she remembered his lips pressed on hers and how she felt at that moment when he kissed her. Staring at the ceiling, Rory thought about the conversation she had earlier with April and Erika before she left the hospital. Erika called Tristan Dr. Hottie. Rory snorted, Dr. Hottie, King of Chilton, all the girls seem to give him a nickname, and even Dean and her mother, each gave him one. Smiling, she thought, no matter what anyone called him she always thought of him as Bible Boy, the annoying teenager who touched her heart and her soul a long time ago. There was sadness in his eyes back then, but now it was replaced with a cockiness.

Erika had also implied that Dean was a great kisser and he was "Hot." Trying to imagine Dean in a photo shoot, posing for a Firemen's calendar, made her giggle. She must admit he did look good in his Pig Ear's t shirt the other night and his arms were muscular. Rory wondered if he wore his shirt in the photo shoot, or if it was off and he was wearing just his uniform pants. She pictured him shirtless holding an axe over his shoulders with his biceps bulging. Then she imagined him shirtless holding a long hose. She began to giggle at that image. No that wasn't the Dean she remembered. He was tall, but not too muscular back then, and he was such a gentle lover. She closed her eyes trying hard to remember the night they first made love on her small single bed in the Crap Shack.

He was married, but they had been flirting whenever they were together. That day he came to her mother's house, they were in the kitchen. He moved closer and suddenly he kissed her. Dean told her that his marriage was falling apart and that it was a mistake. Rory remembered how he said he loved her and that she was the only girl he ever loved. They made love that night for the first time and then holding her in his arms, she laid her head on his chest in her small single bed. Rory remembered gently running her fingers though the fine brown hair on his chest.

Rory rolled over again, she couldn't help but compare Logan and Dean with each other. She wondered if Dean waxed his chest like Logan and if he was a more experienced lover now. She then remembered the first time she made love to Logan, he crawled through her dorm window at Yale. She tried so hard to be cool about this, not be clingy. Just keep it as a no string relationship, but neither one of them could do this. Logan was her second lover, her only experience was Dean. But now she wondered why she let Dean be the one to take her virginity? Did she decide to lose her virginity with Dean because he was safe even though he was married to Lindsay? Having sex with a married man, made it easier for her not to make a commitment. She saw her mother do it all the time. As soon as someone wanted more from her mother she ran. Why were she and her mother both so afraid of making a commitment? Was this her mother's fault because she raised her alone without her father? Rory didn't want to end up like her mother, confused always looking for someone, then finally realizing that the man who idolized her was waiting for her in Stars Hollow. Did her mother settle for Luke because he was safe, dependable? Was she thinking about Dean because he was like Luke, loving her and waiting for her to notice him again?

Rory sighed, rolling over to her left side she closed her eyes and remembered the party at Louise's home where Rory brought Lane, so she could meet Henry. Rory walked around the house for a place to be alone and read her book. She opened the door to the music room. Thinking that she would be alone in here, she walked in, but someone else wanted to be alone too, Tristan. He was sitting at the piano lightly running his fingers along the keys. Tristan looked sad sitting there all alone. Rory went over and sat beside him. The two of them began to talk, their heads getting closer. To her surprise, he leaned in and kissed her.

She still remembers how that kiss made her body tingle, so different from the way Dean kisses. That kiss surprised and frightened her, it awakened feelings in her body that she had never experienced before when she kissed Dean. So Rory ran and left Tristan standing there in surprise. No one ever ran away crying after he kissed him before. He never forgot that, and neither has she.

Rory rolled over sighing thinking about her relationship with Logan. Logan was an experienced lover by the time they dated and taught her so much about her sexual desires, and she confused it with love. Rory was more experienced with men and her own sexual desires now, having dated a few more men after she broke up with Logan the first time. So when Logan and Rory accidently met in Hamburg, Rory thought it was love this time. As soon as Logan kissed her, the chemistry they shared before awakened the passion they felt for each other. Yet kissing Tristan was different. He didn't have to kiss her deeply and rub himself against her to make her want him. All he needed to do was to look at her and gently touch her lips with his.

With just a touch of Tristan's lips on the tip of her nose or his hand on her shoulder, she felt an electric charge. Rory thought about the way her body reacted when he brushed his lips on hers, then slowly deepen his kiss gently caressing her lips with his tongue. The first time he did that, she felt shocked waves go through her body, a warm tingling feeling that warmed her from the inside out. It was the first time her body betrayed her, and she felt the wetness between her legs. When Logan kissed her, she never felt the same desire for him.

Tristan like Logan, Finn, Robert, Colin and now Dean were ladies men. All the girls wanted to be with him. Back in high school, Paris, Madelyn, Louise, and Summer wanted to date Tristan, he had his pick of girls. Now that he is older, more mature, and a successful Doctor she noticed that this hadn't changed. The ladies still found him attractive and lusted after him, especially April. Did Rory really want to be in that group of women? She was attracted to him, but she wasn't going to go out of her way to chase after him. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to date, other men. Why have her heart broken again, Logan already did that twice, perhaps it was time she played the field. Closing her eyes she decided, if Dean calls her and asks her to go out with him, she would go. Thinking about this she relaxes, and soon she falls asleep.

Rory woke up an hour later. Her phone that was sitting on the night stand by her bed was ringing. It was three o'clock, and she didn't look at the caller ID. Instead she reached over for her phone to answer it.

"Hello," she answered sleepily.

"Ror, I thought we were meeting. Where are you? I went up to your grandmother's room, and your father said you went home a few hours ago."

"Oh Jess, I'm sorry. I was sore and tired and went home and fell asleep."

"Can I come over?"

"Sure, Come on over."

Ending her call, she got up and went into the bathroom. She brushed out her hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. She washed her face and reapplied some makeup noticing that she did look pale, she quickly added a little mascara and lip gloss. She kept on her oversized T-shirt and slipped on her black leggings and put on her ballet flats. It was Jess, she really didn't need to dress up for him.

When Dean pulled up in the driveway of the Hayden residents, he sat in his truck for a few minutes. It was a large white colonial that was surrounded by a stone fence that was typical of the neighborhoods in East Hartford. The property was large, but there were other homes close by. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out of his truck. "Come on you can do this. It's Rory, she still the same sweet girl you fell in love with when you were sixteen," he mumbled to himself. He walked up the flagstone sidewalk, taking the step onto the front landing Dean rang the doorbell.

Rory was walking out of the bedroom when she heard the doorbell ring. She walked over and opened it. To her surprise, Dean was standing there with flowers wearing jeans and his EMT jacket. Her face lit up, and her eyes sparkled when she saw his face. When Dean saw that smile his nerves that he felt earlier went away. He knew at that moment he made the right decision to come over.

"Hi Dean, this is a nice surprise. I wasn't expecting company."

Rory opened the door wider so he could walk in. "Come in, Jess just called, and he is on his way over too."

Dean stood straighter the smile leaving his face, he bit his lip and turned his face away, not wanting her to notice the disappointment he felt when he heard his name.

"Mariano? Well, you're busy. I should go."

"Dean, don't be silly. It's just Jess."

"Yeah, right. Jess."

"Dean it's not like that. Jess is my cousin now, and he is helping me find a job. He called me, and I was supposed to meet him at the hospital, but I came home and fell asleep. Please stay." Rory reached up and touched his arm and smiled again.

"Okay, "he told her smiling and handing her a bouquet of fall flowers.

"Dean, they are beautiful," she said and took the flowers from him. She brought them up to her nose in hailing the aroma of the fresh flowers. She stood on her tiptoes and reaching up, Rory kissed him on the cheek. Dean leaned down turning his head, so their lips were not far apart. He placed his hands on her waist, and for the first time in a long time, they looked into each other's eyes.

Rory's lips quivered in anticipation noticing how his eyes seem to sparkle when he smiled at her. Rory forgot how handsome he was, until now, as she gazed into those hazel eyes, which were a mixture of soft brown and greens spreading out to the outer edge where she could see deep blue.

Dean's lips curled up in a smile looking into her blue eyes, the color of the Blue Forget Me Not flowers that he had ordered to be included in this flower arrangement for her. Dean then slowly lowered his lips to hers. Their lips met, and she felt him brush her lips tenderly with his. No sparks, but it was nice, like kissing an old friend. Dean closed his eyes and the familiar memory of her lips as she returned his kiss felt right. Dean had wanted to kiss Rory since the moment he saw her lying on the ground helpless, in Stars Hollow. Memories of their last time together haunted him. When he arrived with his rig and saw her lying there in pain, his desire to protect her returned. When he heard that she had to have an operation, he wanted to be by her side so when she woke up it was his face she saw. Dean lifted his head and smiled. He took her hand in his, and she led him into the house.

The house was warm and inviting, and immediately he felt comfortable here. Rory led Dean into the large country kitchen that was bright and cheery, so different than the kitchen he remembered in her home in Stars Hollow. A woman in her early sixties was standing at the stove stirring a pot that was simmering on the back burner. He could also smell brownies baking in the oven. Eunice smiled at this handsome young man that was holding Rory's hand.

"Eunice, this is Dean Forester, a friend of mine. Dean this is Eunice, she is my grandmother's cook. She has been with the family for years," Rory said making introductions.

"It's nice to meet you, Eunice," Dean said politely to her.

"It's nice to meet you too Dean."

"Eunice, Dean brought me this beautiful bouquet of flowers. Does grandma have a vase I can put them in?" Rory said with a smile on her face.

"The flowers are beautiful, and I see some Forget Me Nots in the arrangement," she said with a grin winking at Dean, "Rory, love, why don't you give the flowers to me. I have the perfect vase to put them in. Would you both like something to eat and drink?"

"Dean?" Rory asked smiling at him.

"Coffee is fine," he said to Eunice.

"I will make some. Now why don't you go out to the sunroom, and I will bring it out to you when it is ready."

"Thank you, Eunice. Come on Dean, the sunroom is right over here off the kitchen," she said leading him into the sunroom.

Dean followed Rory to the sunroom. They were just about to sit down when the doorbell rang again.

"Dean why don't you wait here. Eunice, I'll get it," Rory yelled and quickly went to the front door and opened it.

Dean walked her to the doorway and stood leaning against the doorframe watching her go to the door. Rory opened the door and stepped aside letting Jess into the front foyer.

"Jess, I am sorry I forgot about meeting you this morning. Will you forgive me?" She leaned in embracing him and kissed his cheek.

Jess hugged her and laughed. "All is forgiven."

"Come on, let's go to the sunroom. Jess, Dean, is here."

"Forester? What's he doing here?"

"He just stopped by and brought me flowers."

She led him through the kitchen where he said hello to Eunice and into the sunroom where Dean was still standing leaning against the doorway.

Jess walked over to Dean and put his hand out.

"Dean good to see you again."

Dean took Jess's hand and shook it.

"It's good to see you too," Dean replied.

Dean sat down on a wicker chair. Jess took the other wicker chair, and Rory sat on the love seat. Eunice came out with a tray that had three mugs, a carafe of coffee, sugar, cream and a plate of brownies that she had baked earlier.

"Rory, I am going to pick up Gigi and bring her to the hospital, so she can visit your grandmother. Will you be okay? Do you need anything before I leave?"

"No, I am fine Eunice. I will be going back to the hospital later to see grandma too."

"All right dear. I made some nice beef and barley soup if you want it."

When Eunice left Rory poured the men both a cup of coffee and then poured herself one. She smiled at them and then took a sip from her cup and groaned. It was heavenly. This tasted like Luke's own personal blend. She wondered how Eunice got her hand on this coffee. Jess smirked at Rory and shook his head.

"Rory this coffee is good, but really, do you have to make that noise?"

"This coffee tastes better than good. I swear it tastes like Luke's. Do you know what terrible coffee they had in England? I couldn't wait to come home and have Luke's personal blend of coffee. I mean Starbucks is okay but this, this is nectar from the gods."

Dean started to laugh, "I see you still are as addicted to coffee as you were when you were in high school."

"Yes, I met ….." Rory stopped talking and turned her head to the side as she felt the tears well up in her eyes. She thought of the day when she first met Colin, Finn, and Logan.

"Ror, are you alright?" Dean asked her. Dean got up and walked over to her. He sat down beside her on the love seat and immediately taking her hand in his he started to comfort her.

"Yes, I'm fine. It's just hormones."

The three of them looked at each other, not saying anything. Finally, Rory cleared her throat.

"This is ridiculous. We need to address the elephant in the room. We have known each other since we were kids. We are adults now, and we are friends. Can we have a conversation please?"

"Listen Ror, you were expecting Jess, and it looks like he has some information to give you. I will go and leave you too alone."

"But Dean you don't need to leave," she whispered. She didn't want him to go, and she felt sad.

"Hey, why don't I come back and bring you to the hospital later. You said you wanted to go and visit with your grandmother? How about I come back about 5:30?"

"Alright," she said, looking up at him with her big blue eyes.

Dean got up, and she walked him to the front door.

"Dean, I will be ready at 5:30 and thank you for the flowers. They are beautiful."

She opened the door, and he leaned down and gave her a kiss on the lips.

"I will see you later," he told her and gently ran his finger down her cheek. She smiled, and he walked out the door and got into his truck. She shut the door and walked back to the sunroom and sat back down on the wicker love seat facing Jess. She picked up her coffee cup and took another sip.

"Ror, what's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"What is Dean doing here? Paris told me that there is something between you and Tristan. I saw it last night too. Now I come here, and you are with Dean, kissing him?"

"Tell me what's going on between you and Paris? How long have you two been together? How did that happen?"

"Rory, we aren't talking about Paris and me, right now."

Rory stood up and began to pace around the sunroom with her arms wrapped around her waist.

"Jess, Can't I date more than one guy? I mean I just ended things finally with Logan. I dated him for so long. He told me that he loved me, but then he cheats on his fiancée with me. He tells me he doesn't love her, but he is going to marry her because that's the Dynastic plan. But he wants me to still be there for him, so he offers me keys to a house in Maine."

"Wait, Rory, he did what?"

"Logan told me I can live there and write a novel or write my stories and he will be with me whenever he returns to the states. I will be his Dirty Little Secret… a kept woman …. The other woman."

"I hope you said NO, I will kill that Yale Prick!"

"Jess, I am not going to be his mistress or the "other" woman. You know, men can date multiple women and it's acceptable, why can't I date different men? Why is there this double standard? And why are you concerned about Tristan? The last I knew you felt the same way about Tristan as you did for Dean. "

"Ror, I'm not on anyone side, and you are beginning to sound like Paris. Look, I understand you are mad, and you are hurting, but it's not you. I don't like seeing what he did to you, and I don't want you to get hurt again. This isn't you, your heart is too big, and you don't want to lead these two guys on especially if they have feelings for you. I know you are trying to protect yourself, but Rory life doesn't work that way."

"Why not? Why can't I date two guys, have casual sex, and enjoy life? Men do it all the time."

"And what about your heart? Have you never been able to have casual sex with anyone without feeling guilty? You tried that with Logan. Come on Ror, don't tell me you forgot about the Wookie?"

Rory blushed, she now regrets telling Jess about the Wookie at her mother's wedding. That was embarrassing, and it was just casual sex. She did it to get over Logan. But it didn't' work because a few months later she was back in bed with him again.

"Your right, I gave up Logan when I realized that I couldn't go on like this anymore and I wasn't happy. I couldn't stay with someone who couldn't be with me one hundred percent and his family would not accept me. I am tired of that battle!"

Jess reached out and pulled her into his arms, and she started to cry.

"I had to say goodbye to two of my best friends because of him. I have no way of talking to Finn or Robert because I changed my phone number and deleted my social media page. They don't even know that I collapsed and had to have an operation."

Jess held her and rubbed her back kissing her on the top of her head.

"Jess, I need to move on and work. I don't want to be alone. You have Paris now."

"Yes but Ror, you also have me. I will always be here for you."

"I know, but I am afraid. Did Paris tell you that Tristan's nickname at the hospital is Doctor Hottie?"

"Really? I don't see it."

"Dean is a Pin Up, a Sexy Fireman in a calendar. He might be Mr. July for all I know. All the nurses are lusting over those two men. Yet these two men both want to take me, Rory Gilmore, out on a date. They don't care if I'm Francine Hayden's granddaughter. So why can't I go out with them both? But then Tristan kissed me…."

She sat up and looked him in the eyes.

"Okay… " he said looking at her confused, "I just saw you kissing Dean."

"Jess, I felt something. I had this feeling when we kissed before."

"Wait? You and Tristan kissed before?"

"Yeah, when we were in high school, He just broke up with Summer, and I was confused about Dean, and you. I wasn't sure who I wanted to be with, …. But I never cheated, and I ran away crying. But I know now why I cried. There was something real there, and it is still there."

"So if I understand what you are saying, you had feelings before for Tristan, and these feelings are still there?"

"Yes but I am afraid."

"Of what? Come on Rory, if I didn't act on the feelings that I have for Paris neither one of us would be dating."

"Aha!. You do have feelings for Paris."

"Yes, but what are you afraid of Rory?"

"That he will be like Logan."

Rory was rambling but the more she rambled, the better she felt. Finally, Rory had someone she could confide in and tell them what had happened. Jess was her person, someone she could talk too, someone who would yell at her when she was doing something crazy, someone, who understood her, and someone who would always be there for her.

Jess stood up and pulled her into his arms. "Come here, give yourself time. So Tristan?"

"Yeah and Dean. I mean he has changed. He is confident, sexy, kind and maybe he won't be so possessive this time. I mean, Logan didn't want strings but, yet he wanted me there when it was convenient for him. I don't want that. I'm worried that Tristan is still that way too. I don't think Dean would be like that."

"Yes, he does seem different. Paris told me that he is well-respected here in Hartford and that he is one of the best EMT's she has ever worked with. She told me that there is talk that he might receive a big promotion. Plus his business, the Pig's Ear is very successful."

She laid her head on his shoulder, and he rubbed her back.

"Rory give yourself time. You need to heal. Listen I have a suggestion."

She looked up at him, "What?"

He took her hand, and they sat back on the wicker couch together.

"You need to work, and I need a good reporter and writer. I convinced Matt and Chris to purchase the Stars Hollow Gazette and the Country Times. We also have bought a few small newspapers like the Woodbury Times and the Litchfield News. You could be our crucial reporter, have your own byline and column.

"Would I need to move to Philly?"

"'No, not unless you want too. But there are benefits in moving to Philly but if you want you can stay here in Hartford."

"So you want me to write these articles?"

"I think you would be great at writing these. Chris also wants to start an e-magazine called The Yankee Gazette. He wants to feature different states in the New England region of the US. Since food and wine are so popular now and everyone is big into the farm to table recipes, he thought we could feature wineries, Inns, and restaurants that are using the concept. You can be a digital reporter even start up your own blog."

Rory sat back and thought about what he told her.

"Listen, Ror, you're from this area. Your mom runs an inn, and Sookie has recently been approached to be a celebrity chef. Matt thought the blog and magazine could feature recipes, photographs, and stories about the town and the people that live in these areas. I thought we could start with Stars Hollow. We know there are stories galore in that small town, plus that is where Sookie is. Taylor and Kirk alone could be the whole magazine."

Rory smiled at him and chuckled.

"Jess, you know that isn't a bad idea. In a few weeks, the Hospital is doing a Winter Carnival to raise money for their NICU unit. We could start there.."

"I like that Ror, so what do you say, are you interested?"

"Are you sure you want me? My last few articles were not well received."

"Why? I read your last articles they were good."

"I think someone at HPG was blocking me."

"Then why don't you write with a pen name, you can use your middle name."

"You mean Leigh?"

"Yes, Leigh Hollow. How does that sound?"

"I like it. But what about my dad. He is hinting that he wants me to work for him."

"Do you want that?"

"I'm not sure, it would mean I might have to move back to England, then I would have to face Logan and his wife."

She stood up and walked over to the windows in the sunroom and looked out over her grandmother's immaculate garden with its mums growing in the backyard. Fall was always her favorite time of the year, but this year she was feeling sad and lonely. Was she looking for something or someone who wasn't there? Turning around she gave Jess a weak smile and walked back towards him.

"Ror, why don't you start small and do the article about the Winter Carnival for us. I will tell Matt to write a contract that can give you benefits and a salary, but we will make it month by month, this will give you a chance to see if you like writing a blog and working as a digital journalist. If you eventually want to work for your father's company than you won't be breaking a binding contract or maybe you can do both."

"Okay, that sounds fair. Now it's your turn to tell me, Mr. Mariano… you and Paris? What's going on?"

Jess gave her his crooked smile, "Well, you know Rory, I like her a lot. Paris is smart, we talk, argue about politics, literature, current events, and she makes me laugh. Sure she is uptight, opinionated, highly critical, but there something in her that makes her vulnerable. I get it, and together we connect."

"Are you two?"

He smirked, "A gentleman never tells."

Rory laughed at him, "Be careful and don't hurt her. I don't want to lose my two best friends."

"Doogie you won't ever lose me. I promise." She kissed him on the cheek. "Dodger I am so glad we have this."

"It is what it is, You, me,"

"Yes, it is," She hugged him tightly.

"Hey, now you go rest and get something to eat. I will be going to the hospital to pick up Paris and have dinner when her shift ends. If you and Dean want to join us…"

"I will let you know."


	14. Chapter 13 Lothario or Romeo

**Chapter 13 Lothario or Romeo**

Rory took the folder that Jess gave her. Bringing it to her room, she put it on the desk beside her computer. She went into her bathroom and took a shower letting the warm water pound on her shoulders and back. After fifteen minutes Rory got out and dried off. She reached for her fluffy white robe that was hanging on the bathroom door. Putting it on Rory walked into her bedroom and then went to her closet. She pulled out her faux leather trimmed pants, a floral cardigan, and blazer and got dressed. She then slipped on a pair of black pumps and her blue silk scarf. Wrapping the scarf around her neck, she checked her reflection in the mirror and then picked up her purse. Rory walked into the living room looking at her phone wondering if she had missed any calls. She quickly sent her father a text telling him that she would be there shortly. She hit send on her phone when the doorbell rang, opening up the door she saw Dean.

"Hey, are you ready to go?" he asked her smiling.

"I am," she said and walked out the door. Dean reached out and took her hand in his. Rory looked at Dean who was wearing jeans, a white opened collar shirt, a corduroy blazer and a red scarf around his neck. He opened the truck door for her, and she climbed in. Dean looked very handsome dressed like this, and she grinned when she noticed that he had the top two buttons of his shirt open. She realized that unlike Logan, Dean did not wax his chest because she could see the hair peeking out.

"Why are you smiling, Rory?"

"I was just wondering what it's like to model for a calendar?"

Dean's face turned red as he began to blush. "Oh, you heard about that."

"Yes, are you Mr. July or August?" she teased.

Dean smirked at her and shook his head as he drove his truck onto the expressway.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not Mr. July, that's my partner Mac. He is coming out of the swimming pool after jumping in and saving someone."

"Oooh. That sounds interesting. So tell me what month you are?"

Embarrassed he laughed, "I'm not telling you. You will have to purchase that calendar."

Rory started laughing harder.

"Can you tell me if you are holding your hose?"

He glanced over at her laughing as he pulled his black Chevy Tahoe in the EMTs reserve parking spot and turned off the engine of his truck.

He leaned across the truck so that their faces were close to each other, and whispered, "Nope."

Dean got out of the truck and walked around to the passenger side. Taking her hand, he said, "Come on let's go visit your grandmother."

She climbed out of his truck, and they walked towards the elevator. The wind was beginning to blow through the parking garage, and he pulled her to his side. He kept his arm around her shoulder on the elevator, and she started laughing again.

"What?"

"It's nothing, " she said grinning up at him.

"You're thinking about the calendar aren't you."

"Yes, the other nurses told me that they think you're hot."

"Oh really?" he replied rubbing her shoulder. Turning and facing him she pulled on the red scarf that he had on around his neck. He bent his head down closer to hers.

"What do you want to know, Ror." He said gently placing his hands on her hips.

"How much of your uniform did you wear?" Rory teased looking up at him.

Moving his face closer, he said, " I guess you will have to buy a calendar and find out."

She held her breath wondering if he was going to kiss her again, but the elevator pinged letting them know that it was stopping on the next floor. Before the door opened, they moved apart as two doctors got onto the elevator. Rory's eyes got big when she recognized Dr. Whyles.

"Hello Dean and Lorelai, it is so good to see you again. Erika said you were returning today."

"Hi Dr. Whyles. " She had moved a few steps away from Dean and was facing front biting her lip trying to hide a grin.

Dr. Whyles took a step closer to her and Dean didn't say anything.

"Lorelai, have you met Dr. Kelley yet?"

"No. Hello," Rory replied smiling at Trevor.

"Dr. Kelley, this is Lorelai Hayden, of course, you know Dean Forester." Ethan Whyles said nodding to Dean.

"It's nice to meet you, Dr. Kelley, " Rory replied.

"Miss Hayden, it's nice to meet you too, and Dean it's good to see you." The elevator pinged, and the two men got off the elevator on the sixth floor.

When the elevator doors shut, Dean looked at her. "Why did he call you Lorelai Hayden?"

"It's my legal name, Lorelai Gilmore Hayden. I sometimes used it when I was a reporter."

"How come I never knew that?"

"I always went by Gilmore, but on my birth certificate and my insurance card, it is listed as Hayden. It's no big deal, I'm still Rory Gilmore, " she said to him smiling.

"I guess I'm surprised when he didn't call you Gilmore. "

Gently pulling her closer to him, he kissed the top of her head and said, "It seems like you have changed."

She looked up at him raising an eyebrow.

" Listen I am going to go and check on my sister, so you can have some time with your family. Then if it is okay, I would like to take you out for dinner."

Rory bit her lip and then said, "I'd like that."

The elevator pinged, and it stopped at the eleventh floor.

"I'll see you in a little while, " and he let go of her shoulder and she stepped off the elevator. The elevator door closed with Dean inside.

Rory walked to her grandmother's room thinking what Dean said. Of course, she has changed, she isn't that 19-year-old virgin that he once knew. Rory stood outside her grandmother's room watching as her father and sister were sitting talking to her grandmother. Rory tapped lightly on the door and walked in. Her dad looked up when he saw her.

"Grandma. Rory is here," Gigi says jumping out of her seat to go to her sister. "Rory, how are you feeling? Eunice said that you went home and were sleeping. " Gigi continued talking to her as she was hugging her sister.

"Oh, " Rory said in surprise and hugged her back.

"I'm feeling better. Did you have a good day at school?" she asked her sister.

"No, I was worried about you and Grandma all day."

"Well, tomorrow is Friday. Don't you have a half day tomorrow because the teachers have a meeting?"

"Yes, I will be home by noon."

"Well maybe we can spend time together, " she told her sister as she rubbed her sister's shoulder.

"Promise?" Gigi asked her.

"I promise."

Rory looked at her father, he seemed very tired and worried. All this traveling between here and Boston must be wearing him out.

"Dad, why don't you and Gigi go home and rest. I will stay here with grandma for a while," she said to her father.

"It's okay, the doctor will be here soon. He was going to talk to me about your grandmother's operation."

"Dad, I can talk to him. You and Gigi both look exhausted. I will call you as soon as I finish talking to him."

"Are you sure, Rory?" Christopher asked her.

"Chris goes, Rory is here with me. Take Gigi out to get something to eat. I'm sure you are both hungry, " Francine told her son.

"Okay. What do you say Gig? Ready to go to that new pizza restaurant that you have been bugging me about?" Chris asked as he stood up gathering their coats.

"Oh, could we Dad?"

Chris nodded as he handed Gigi her jacket and she put it on over her Chilton uniform she was wearing.

"Okay, kiddo. Ror, call me when you finish talking to the doctor. "

"I will."

She hugged her father and sister, and they left the room. Rory sat in the chair beside her grandmother and took her hand in hers.

"Rory, I have been worried about you. You looked so tired earlier when you were here. I am glad you went home and rested."

"I feel better now, Grandma."

"Did you see the flowers that your grandmother Emily sent," Francine asked pointing to a beautiful arrangement.

"Oh they are beautiful," she said and went over and admired them. Emily sent a bouquet of yellow roses, red Gerbera daisies, bronze daisies, red Peruvian lilies, and greenery in a beautiful red vase.

"Now that arrangement is beautiful and tastefully done. Grandma has a way with flowers. Did you know she tried to teach me how to make a flower arrangement once? It didn't turn out very well. I gave them to my mom."

Francine turned and grinned patting her hand. " Dear not everyone is as good arranging parties or flowers, like Emily. "

"That's true. Did you have any other visitors today beside my father and Gigi?" Rory asked Francine.

"Well yes, I did. Shira Huntzberger came up to see me not long after you left. Lucky your father was here. "

"Really? I never realized you knew her. What did she want?"

"Unfortunately, I have known her since she was a young bride. We were close friends with Elias and Bunny. She told me that she met a relative of mine. She was trying to figure out who that was. Your father walked out when she came in. He told me after she left that he doesn't like her. Rory, she doesn't know that you're my granddaughter, does she."

"No," Rory replied to her grandmother.

"Good. Shira Huntzburger doesn't need to know. I never liked her. I don't know how Elias puts up with her."

Francine and Rory sat there quietly for a while when suddenly her grandmother asked the question she dreaded. "

"Rory, were you in love with him?"

"Who?" Rory asked, but she knew who her grandmother meant.

"Logan, dear. Emily told me a few years ago that you two dated and when he asked you to marry him, you turned him down."

"Grandma that was a long time ago and we are no longer together."

She squeezed her hand, "What happened?"

"We wanted a different life, I guess."

Her grandmother held her hand and closed her eyes. Rory sat beside her grandmother watching her as she fell asleep. Before too long, she heard her grandmother's slow, steady breathing. The nurse came in to check her IV bag and then a handsome doctor appeared.

"Hello, I am Doctor Connor Ross." Rory looked at the handsome doctor. So this was the third musketeer, Dr. McDreamy. He put out his hand to shake hers.

Connor was handsome. He was clean-shaven, and he was around her age. Rory liked his smile because you could see it in his soft brown eyes that he cared, and he was kind and gentle. Rory stood up and shook his hand.

"Hi, I'm Rory, Rory Gilmore, this is my grandmother Francine Hayden."

"Are you Lorelai Hayden?"

"Yes but I go by Rory. "

"So you must be the mystery girl that Ethan was talking about."

"What?" Rory asked surprised.

Connor smiled, and his eyes seem to twinkle. He went over and checked her grandmother's vitals.

"Has she been sleeping long?" He asked her.

"She just fell asleep. Before that, we were talking. I have only been here for thirty minutes. My sister and father were here earlier but they just left to get something for dinner. "

"So Doc doesn't know you are here?"

"Doc?"

"Dr. Dugray."

"Oh, I don't know I haven't spoken to him since this morning."

Connor smiled at her, "I see. So did you really go to school with him?"

"Tris? Yes, I did. Wait, I'm supposed to be asking you questions about my grandmother and not answering questions about myself and my relationship with Tristan," she told him becoming aggravated.

Connor chuckled, "I like you. I can see how you gave him a hard time in school. Come on, let's go to the doctor's lounge for a cup of coffee and I will give you an update on your grandmother."

She hesitantly followed Dr. Ross to the lounge, and immediately he poured coffee in a mug for her. Taking another mug off the rack, he poured one for himself. He pulled out the cream from the refrigerator, and he walked over to the table and sat down. She followed him and sat down and looked at him. He handed her a spoon, cream, and the sugar.

"How did you know that I take cream and sugar in my coffee," she asked him.

He took a sip of his black coffee and looked at her over the rim of his mug. His brown eyes twinkled with mischief.

"I knew."

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. She liked him, but she was leery. Why did he want to know about her and Tristan? She wondered if Tristan had been talking about her. Connor smiled at her, and he started to speak to her very professionally.

"Your grandmother had a two-way bypass. She should do well, but I'm concerned about her lungs. We have to watch her closely and make sure that her lungs do not fill up with fluid. We will keep her here for at least another week before we transfer her to a rehab hospital. She will need breathing treatments, PT and OT and we are monitoring her closely so that she won't have another stroke.."

"Oh, but will she be okay?"

"The first forty-eight hours are critical after an operation like this," he told her.

Rory felt the tears well behind her eyelids. Connor gently squeezed her hand.

"She will be fine. Now I have answered your questions. It's my turn to ask the questions, and you can answer them."

Rory looked at him skeptically, "What do you want to know?"

"I want you to tell me things about Tristan when he was in high school. Dr. Gellar won't tell us anything."

"That's because she had a crush on him when we were younger at Chilton."

He smiled and said, "So spill."

Giggling she said, "Well Tristan would walk down the halls of Chilton like he was the King. He could have any girl he wanted."

"Except one."

She turned her head when she heard his voice.

"Only one?" Ross said to him, " Someone resisted the Dugray charm? I can't believe it. I want to meet that girl."

Tristan stood behind Rory's chair and gently touched her shoulders,

"She's right here," he said smiling at Rory then walked over to the lounge refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water.

She looked up and smiled at him and turning to Connor she said, "True, but it wasn't for lack of trying on his part."

"How do you feel? Your dad said you went home and slept," Tristan asked her as he pulled up a chair and sat beside her.

"I'm okay. How did you know I was in here?"

"I had time between surgeries, so I went to see if you were visiting your grandmother, but Jeff said you just left with Connor."

"Oh, so you were checking up on me?"

"Mare, I told you that I would see you today." He winked at her and leaned on his chair, drinking from the bottle of water he had in his hand. He then turned to his best friend and glared at him.

"Dr. Ross, why are you asking her about me?" he asked.

She started to laugh and took a sip from her coffee mug.

"Just want to know what you were like before we met at Cornell," Connor said with a twinkle in his eye.

"I was like I am now." Tristan leaned back in his chair and crossed his ankles.

"Let's see, he was cocky, self-assured, privileged, a flirt, smart, but did dumb things," Rory said laughing.

"Oh definitely." Connor agreeing with Rory

"Then he hasn't changed," Rory responded and laughed, slapping Connor's hand in a high five.

"So he was a lady's man at age sixteen?" Connor asked smirking at Tristan.

"Mare, you don't have to answer that."

"Mare? I thought her name was Lorelai?"

"It is! Tristan had a problem with my name."

"Well, she was a Mary when I met her" - and taking her hand in his - "she still is."

"Tristan…."

"What?" he said with a smirk, and he leaned over and kissed her on the lips. "You will always be Mary to me."

Rory felt the shock again when he kissed her lips, and she blushed. Tristan moves his chair closer to her and placed his hand on her thigh where he gently caressed it. She looked at him then looked at Connor.

"Wait, are you telling me this is the Mary you used to talk about at Cornell? Lorelai, he dragged me to Harvard looking for you. I thought Tristan was crazy and that he made you up."

Rory sat back in the chair and began to laugh looking at Tristan. "Wait, you went to Harvard looking for me? When was that?"

Looking at him and putting her hand on top of his. Tristan sat there holding her hand and smirking. He didn't care that Connor was telling her this. He wanted her to know that he had feelings for her even after he left Chilton.

"It was the Harvard vs. Cornell Hockey game our freshman year. Doc convinced me that this girl he knew from Chilton was going to school there. He wanted to go and see you. As we drove to Boston, he talked about Mary and then said she probably is dating some jock who's a star hockey player."

"A hockey player? Who did you think I was dating?"

"I didn't know, I knew you weren't dating your boyfriend since he was married."

"Wait! How would you know that? Did Paris tell you?"

Tristan raised his eyebrows at her and grinned. Rory looked at him wondering what her life would have been like if he had gone to Yale and found her there. Would she had dated him instead of Logan? Connor observed them then continued with his story.

"When we arrived we walked around campus to the hockey rink and went to the game. We sat so Tristan could check out the stand to see if you were there. Instead of watching the game, which we won, by the way, he was looking for you in the stands convinced that if you were not at the game, then you were in the library studying. So then we walked all over the campus to the different libraries looking for you. Do you know how many libraries are on the Harvard Campus?"

"Yes, I think there is around 76? Yale only has fifteen, and if you went there, you would probably have found me in one. I did spend a lot of time at the library at Yale."

"Well nobody told me you went to Yale," Tristan said to here.

"Tris who told you I went to Harvard."

"Well, I figured you did. I mean, Mare, you had the Harvard banner, and there were stickers all over your locker at Chilton and even in your bedroom."

"You were in her bedroom?"

"Well I went to her house to study, and I looked in it. But Mare, that was the only college you wanted to go to."

Rory turned and looked at Tristan with her mouth open. "You came looking for me?" Rory smiled at him and squeezed his hands. He really liked her.

"I did, I came back to Hartford after graduating from Military school and again after my first year at Cornell. I drove to Stars Hollow both summers looking for you, but you weren't there either time.."

She turned to him and tilted her head to the side and said, "Tris, I never heard from you after you left. I asked Paris if she knew where you were, and she told me that she didn't. I would have written to you if I knew. Wow, I can't believe you came looking for me."

"So where did you go, Mare?" Tristan asked her.

Connor sat there drinking his coffee listening to the two of them catch up. Smiling he thought that there was something unique about these two. It was as if they were two star-crossed lovers and that it was meant for their paths to cross so that they could be together.

"My mother and I went backpacking around Europe the summer I graduated from Chilton. We got back just in time for me to go to Yale. The next summer I went to Europe with my grandmother," she replied.

They sat there quietly not saying anything. Rory had her fingers entangled with his, and they rested on her lap. She rubbed them gently and looked down at their hands. Her fingers fit so well in his. Suddenly she wished that he went to Yale looking for her.

"Tris, what made you go to Cornell?"

"I applied to Harvard, Cornell, Yale, and Princeton. I was on a waiting list for Harvard and Yale, but I was accepted at Cornell and Princeton. I visited both places. I went to Stars Hollow looking for you to find out where you were going to go to college. I figured maybe we could have the summer together and maybe we could start where we left off."

"Oh, I never knew you came."

"I knew you weren't dating Dean anymore because I saw him at the diner with some blond. While I was there drinking coffee and eating pancakes at the counter. Dean walked in, and everyone was congratulating them. A skinny man was sitting beside me, and I asked him earlier where you were, and he said you left right after their wedding with your mother. I turned around when Dean saw me, and we glared at each other. I paid for my food and as I walked by me told him congratulations, and he mumbled, Thank you, and then I left."

Tristan took his finger and moved a strand of hair off her face and gently pushed it behind her ear

"Funny how life is. I returned to Hartford to do my residency, and then I was hired here to work. Dean is an EMT, and we see each other from time to time. I guess his marriage didn't last, but we don't really talk. You can imagine my surprise when I heard that Dean was the EMT that brought you into the hospital. When I came out of the operating room to talk to your father, I saw him in the waiting room sitting there with Jess to see how you were. Dean and Jess weren't speaking at all. They were both worried about you."

Rory didn't know what to say.

"Wait, hold on, Doc, I didn't know that you and Dean Forester knew each other before you worked here? Did he go to school too with you, Rory and Paris?" Connor asked,

Before Tristan answered Rory said, "No, Dean was my boyfriend when I went to Chilton. Tristan and I…."

"I admit it, Mare, I had a crush on you. All I ever wanted to do is ask you out on a date and get to know you better."

"What happened?" Connor asked surprised that there was a girl that Tristan wanted to date but didn't.

Tristan said. "I had my chance, we went to this party, we were both no longer in a relationship, and I kissed her, but she ran away crying."

"Smooth ….Doc, I wish Ethan was here to hear this. What was wrong with the kiss?"

"I didn't cry because of the kiss. It was a nice kiss," Rory whispered to Tristan

"Then why did you run away?" he asked her moving closer to her.

"Because it made me feel things that I wasn't ready to feel," she admitted to him.

"Do you still feel them when I kiss you?"

She nodded her head as he leaned closer.

Connor cleared his throat, "I'm still here guys. So let me get this straight, in high school you, Tristan, meet Rory and tormented her, calling her Mary. Then the two of you finally have your first kiss where Rory runs away crying. Now 14 years later you both are single, and you meet up again."

"Yes," Rory said moving her head away from Tristan's. "I haven't seen him since the day he said goodbye."

"Did you ever think about him? Obviously, he thought about you," Connor asked her.

"Well,"

"Mare, admit it you did. You dated a guy that Paris called Tristan 2.0 version. I laughed when she told me that, and she said, that you had a type, the blond trust fund playboy type."

"Well, that was Paris's theory. She never liked Logan." She looked over at Tristan and bit her bottom lip.

"Well if you remember she didn't like me either in high school."

"To be honest Tristan she did like you, that's why I set you up on the date. Remember?"

"Hard to forget Mare, I wanted to go out with you, so I went on that date."

"Okay, now I am confused," Connor said to them. "You two never dated, but Doc went on a date with Paris because you set it up. Then Paris says you dated a 2.0 version of Tristan in College and you had a blond trust fund playboy type? Tristan that is you."

"Paris knew I was attracted to Tristan. So when I started dating Logan she told me that the guy I was dating was Tristan, but the 2.0 version. I didn't want to admit it back then, but she was right. But you aren't the same. Tristan is….."

She bit her lip and was afraid to say it because maybe he was like Logan. She closed her eyes because she didn't want him to be like Logan. She opened her eyes and looked at him sitting beside her in his blue scrubs. She thought about that kiss and how it makes her feel whenever he is near her.

Tristan smiled his slow sexy smile, "So you did have a thing for me, Mare?" Tristan picked up her hand in his and brought it to his lips.

Watching them, Connor realized that the two of them had chemistry between them, but she was cautious, almost afraid. He knew Tristan well, having become best friends the moment they moved in together as freshmen at Cornell. Tristan never went on a date with a girl, no more than three times. But watching him talk and look at Rory, he knew that this relationship was different.

Tristan's pager went off, and he stood up. "Mare I've got to go. I am scheduled for surgery, and I have to stay at the hospital all night. I want to call you tomorrow, maybe you can make a comparison."

Squinting her eyes, she said, "Comparison, what am I comparing?"

Tristan's eyes sparkled, and he smirked and said, "The original with the 2.0 version."

Rory started laughing. "Still arrogant and cocksure of yourself. Tristan, what makes you think you are any better?"

"I know I am, the originals always are."

Tristan walked over to her and leaned down and kissed her on the lips. She closed her eyes and felt that spark again when their lips touched. She reached up and put her hands on his neck and let her fingers gently pull through his hair on his neck. He kissed the tip of her nose and said, "Do you feel it, Mare? I bet he never kissed you like that. I will call you tomorrow."

He then saluted Connor and walked out.

Connor sat back in his seat and shook his head. Finally, he said, "You are the one."

"I am the one? What does that mean?"

"You are his Mary."

Connor stood up and walked toward the door. He turned around before he left and said, "Rory, be careful. He is in love with you."

Rory watched Connor leave the room. She was shocked when he said that. Rory had feelings for him too, but she was afraid to trust herself. What if he was really just like Logan. She needed to protect her hurt so that she wouldn't get hurt again.

Once he was gone, she picked up her phone and called her father.

"Dad, Grandma is going to be okay. They have to monitor now for fluid in her lungs, and she will be here for a while." She continued explaining to him what Dr. Ross said.

"Rory do you want me to send a car for you?" Christopher asked.

"No that's okay, Dean said he would bring me home. We will stop and get something for dinner too."

Rory stood up and ending her call and returned to her grandmother's room. Her grandmother was asleep, so she turned on the TV again and began to watch Supernatural. The show was almost over when Dean came in. He sat and watched it for a while and then turned to her and said, "Ror, why are you watching this? You like this show?"

"Yes, it is interesting and well written."

"Ror? You really think that this show is well written? Come on, burning someone's glove to make the ghost disappear, and using an iron to kill a ghost? A ghost is an apparition of a dead person. I know you could write a better script than this."

"You really think so?"

"Yes, Ror, you could. I have read your articles."

"You have?" she said in surprise. "You are full of surprises tool."

He took her hand and said, "Come on Ror, let's get something to eat." She gently kissed her grandmother good night and then turned off the television. She left with Dean in the blue elevator discussing the articles that she wrote that he has read.


	15. Chapter 14 Meeting the Parents

**Chapter 14** **Meeting the Parents**

Her phone rang at 6 am, Rory rolled over and looked at the caller id, smiling she answered it.

"Hello," she responded sleepily into the phone.

"Hi, did I wake you?" Tristan asked her.

"Sort of, I'm glad you called," Rory responded stretching and pushing herself up in a sitting position with a smile on her face.

"You know, we didn't have much time together yesterday. How would you feel about going out for some breakfast, and then you could start making the comparison between Tristan original and 2.0," Tristan told her.

Rory started laughing,

"So is that a yes?" he asked her chuckling.

"I would love too," she replied.

"How soon can you be ready to leave?" he asked her.

Rory looked at the clock and said, "Can you give me 20 minutes?"

"Sure. I will be there in twenty minutes," Tristan told Rory anxious to see her again.

"And Tris."

Yea?" he responded.

"Don't worry, there's no comparison."

Rory ended the call and walked into the bathroom wondering why Paris ever thought that Logan and Tristan were anything alike. They were two entirely different men. Rory quickly went in to take a shower. She hopped out after five minutes and quickly dried her hair. Looking in the mirror, Rory brushed her hair pulling it back into a high ponytail and added some light makeup and a little mascara. She then went into her closet and pulled out her skinny black jeans, a three-quartered length sleeve white V-neck printed blouse, a silk scarf, and her leather crop jacket. Rory pulled on her black leather ankle boots and transferred her items from her purse into her black leather bag. She grabbed her phone and put it in the front pocket for easy access.

Rory walked into the kitchen and quickly wrote her father a note telling him that a friend had called, and she was going out to breakfast with them. Rory took her laptop and the folder Jess gave her and slipped it in her messenger bag and left it by the hall bench. Hearing a gentle knock at the door, Rory grabbed her leather bag and opened the door. She walked out shutting the door quietly behind her.

"Wow, if it takes you only twenty minutes to look like that, what would you look like if I gave you an hour to get ready?"

"The same. As my mom says, it's the Gilmore genes, you can't mess with perfection."

He looked her up and down smiling with approval. "Come on. I know of a great diner down the road." They quickly got into his car, and he headed out of town.

"Where are we going?" she asked as he pulled onto the expressway heading out of Hartford.

"To a great little diner."

They were heading down the Interstate when she reached out and started to turn on the radio.

"What are you doing?" he asked her.

"Putting on music, " she grinned.

"What do you want to hear?"

He hit the play button on his steering wheel and started the radio. Soon the song _**Simple**_ by **Florida Georgia Line** came on the Sirius XM Highway station. He started singing along with the radio.

" _ **The way your fingers fit in mine**_

" _ **It's five plus five, not rocket science**_

 _ **This day in time, that's hard to find, it's true**_

 _ **The road we're on ain't a traffic jam**_

 _ **It's a Sunday drive on a piece of land**_

 _ **It's paradise as long as I'm with you**_

He glanced over and smiled as he reached out and took her hand in his. She smiled at him and gently caressed his hand with her fingers.

" _ **It's like one, two, three**_

 _ **Just as easy as can be**_

 _ **Just the way you look at me**_

 _ **You make me smile**_

 _ **Ain't no need to complicate it, we both know that's overrated**_

 _ **We've been there, it's safe to say it ain't our style**_

 _ **It's just that simple, S-I-M-P-L-E**_

 _ **Simple as can be**_

 _ **It's just that simple, S-I-M-P-L-E**_

 _ **Simple as can be"**_ **

She started laughing as they drove down the road. She looked out the window recognizing the scenery.

"We're going to Stars Hallow. Are you taking me to Luke's? " she asked him with a grin on her face. "How do you know about Luke's?"

"The best coffee and pancakes around, " he winked at her and continued to sing along with the music.

Ten minutes later he pulled up in front of the diner. Tristan walked around the car and opened up the passenger door. It was seven am, she looked in the window and saw Luke walk into the backroom. Tristan opened up the door, he stepped aside so she could walk in first, and he followed. Rory heard Luke yell from the backroom,

"Take any seat I will be right with you."

Rory looked around the diner and smiled and led Tristan to her favorite table. Handing Tristan the menu she walked behind the counter and got two mugs and the coffee pot. Luke came out of the backroom and noticed movement behind his counter.

"Hey! No one is allowed behind… Rory?" he began to yell.

"Hi Luke," she said as she poured Tristan and herself a cup of coffee. Luke came over and hugged his stepdaughter.

"I've been so worried about you since the town told me how they had to rush you to the hospital. Then your grandmother, wait, what are you doing here?" He looked over at the table where Tristan was sitting.

"Luke, this is Dr. Dugray, Tris, this is my stepfather Luke Danes." Rory beamed at Tristan, and she leaned into Luke and whispered, "He saved my life."

"Nice to meet you, Luke," Tristan stood up and walked over to her stepfather and put out his hand to shake his.

"Nice to meet you, Doctor Dugray," Luke said shaking Tristan's hand, "Thank you for saving my daughter's life."

Rory smiled up at Luke and was happy to hear him refer to her as his daughter. She pulled him to her side in a tighter hug.

"It's Tristan, Mr. Danes " Tristan told Luke shaking his hand.

"Glad to meet you Tristan and you can call me Luke," Luke responded, and Rory smiled at both of them.

"Ror, do you want your usual? " Luke asked her.

"Yes, Luke."

"Okay one Rory Special, how about you Tristan?"

"I will have the Rory Special too."

"Caesar I need two Rory specials, " he yelled to Caesar.

"Rory, does your mom know your here?" Luke asked her.

"No, Tristan surprised me this morning. He invited me to breakfast at the best diner around."

Luke smiled when he heard that and looked at Tristan. This young doctor looked familiar, but he wasn't sure where he met him. He probably served him here, since he was familiar with the diner. They had many people who came to the diner while they visited Stars Hollow.

"Dr. Dugray, or Tristan, where are you from?" Luke asked trying to make some small talk.

"Originally Hartford, my parents live there. In fact, my grandparents were friends with Rory's grandparents years ago," Tristan responded.

"Huh. Well, I will leave you two. Listen, Rory, I will go and call your mother and let her know you're here."

Rory smiled at Luke and watched him walk away and reach for the phone behind the counter. When he left the table, Tristan leaned towards her and whispered,

"What's the Rory special? Am I going to be sorry I ordered it?"

"Do you like pancakes?" she asked him with a smile.

"Yes, though I don't eat them often."

"Well, you will today because it's two chocolate chip pancakes, two scrambled eggs, whipped cream, with lots and lots of coffee."

She took a sip of her coffee and put her cup down. "Tris, can I ask you something?"

"Of course Mare, anything."

"You really came to Stars Hollow looking for me the summer after you graduated from Military school?" she asked.

"Yes, it was July, our graduation was two weeks after Chilton's, and then there was packing and moving and traveling back. I drove to your house and knocked on your front door. A skinny man walking a pig on a leash told me that you and your mom went on a trip."

"Kirk," she responded shaking her head.

"Kirk?"

"The man walking a pig was Kirk, " she smiled at him, "Why did you come looking for me?"

He sat back and folded his arms across his chest and smiled.

"It's simple Mare, I missed you, and I missed your smile."

"You missed my smile? I don't remember ever smiling when I was with you," she

replied furrowing her eyebrows.

"Yes, but you did smile, sometimes in class, in the cafeteria, when you listened to Madeline and Louise. You even rolled your eyes at Paris."

She picked up her cup of coffee and blushed.

"You were watching me?" she asked him.

"Yes, I like your smile. You know, I tried so hard to get your attention back at Chilton," Tristan admitted raising one of his eyebrows and giving her his sexy grin.

Rory burst out laughing, "You had a strange way of getting my attention. Making out in front of my locker, calling me Mare, starting fights."

"Yea, I was a jerk back then. You know Mare when you walked into Chilton our sophomore year looking so damn cute in your plaid skirt, and blazer with the Chilton crest over your right breast, I had to meet you. Get to know you better."

He took his finger pointing it at her heart. "Hmm, do you still have your uniform?"

"I'm sure I do, it might be at the Crap Shack. Why?"

He sat up and leaned forward and smirked.

"I have this fantasy of you wearing it for me. I gently peel it off of you as I kiss your neck, your lips, your collarbone..." Tristan whispered.

Rory blushed and whispered back, "Do you still have your blazer and your stripe tie?"

Tristen reached over the table and held her hand, gently rubbing the back with his thumb. Rory looked down at their hands and then looked into his grey-blue eyes blushing.

"If I do, what would you like to do with my tie?" he asked as their eyes locked.

She licked her lips and then sat back in her chair still letting him hold her hand.

"It's too bad that I didn't know you came here looking for me. I wish..."

"What do you wish, Mare?"

Rory held Tristan's hand and cocked her head smiling at him. He was gently rubbing his thumb on the back of her hand. Turning her head towards the big window, she looked off in the distance and said, "... that I could have turned back time. Things might have been different."

"What things?" he asked her taking his fingers and turning her chin back towards him." Rory smiled shyly at Tristan and licked her lips ready to lean in for a kiss.

Lorelai walked in just as he was holding her chin in his hand. Luke stopped her before she interrupted them.

"Look, Lorelai, don't interfere. She's smiling, and I haven't seen her smile like that in a long time." He kissed his wife's temple. She nodded and stood there in silence.

"Who is she with?" Lorelai asked looking over at the table where her daughter sat with a very handsome man gently caressing her daughter's chin.

"A doctor. His name is Tristan Dugray, she said he saved her life."

Lorelai stood there with her mouth open. Rory looked up and saw her mother.

"Mom," she exclaimed jumping up and walking over to hug her mother. Tristan stood up and followed her to where Lorelai was standing beside Luke at the counter.

"Hello, I am Doctor Dugray," he said holding out his hand to her.

"Hi, I am Lorelai Gilmore-Danes. Rory didn't you go to school with a Dugray?" she asked as she walked over to their table and sat down. Luke followed behind her with her coffee cup

"Yes, mom. This is Tristan. Remember, we were classmates at Chilton."

Luke brought the coffee pot with him and refilled Rory's cup.

"Wait is this Grandpa's friend Janlan Dugray's grandson? The same one we called Satan's Spawn?" Lorelai asked her. She was impressed at how successful and handsome he was.

Tristan turned to Rory and raised his eyebrow at her wondering what her mother meant by Satan's Spawn.

"Mom, that was a long time ago. Tristan is a doctor now. Tristan don't listen to my mother, we gave you that name a long time ago," Rory said blushing.

"Didn't you go away to military school?" Lorelai asked him.

"Yes, I then went to school at Cornell University in Pre-Med, then Yale Medical school, and now I am a surgeon at Hartford General," he responded.

"It was Tristan who operated on me and saved my life," Rory told her mother.

"Do you always take your patients out to breakfast after you save their lives?" Lorelai asked him looking over her coffee cup at him.

Tristan smiled at Lorelai enjoying the interrogation. He then responded.

"I don't make it a habit, but Mare and I have some unfinished history."

"Oh, and what could this history be?"

"Mom! Stop interrogating him. Tristan called and asked if I wanted to go to breakfast. He told me that he knew of a diner that served great food and he brought me here."

"Luke, order up!" Caesar yelled ringing the bell and interrupting any further conversation.

Luke brought over Rory and Tristan's order and set it on the table in front of them. Tristan's eye's got big and was amazed at the size of the plate with all the food on it along with the sides. Luke then returned with Lorelai's breakfast, an egg white scrambled with whole wheat toast and turkey bacon.

"Mom, what is that?" Rory asked in astonishment. She has never seen her mother eat egg whites before in her life.

"Oh, Luke put me on a diet, after our honeymoon. He told me he wants to live a long life with me since we waited so long to get married, " she pouted as she snatched one of the pieces of bacon off of Rory's plate.

Tristan looked at his plate. "This is a Rory's Special? Girl how do you eat this much and still stay so skinny."

"It's a mystery," she said smiling at him as she spread the whipped cream all over her pancakes and took a bite. She moaned with pleasure.

Tristan looked at her and chuckled.

"What?"

"I never heard a girl moan with pleasure when they are eating."

"I guess you've been dating the wrong girls," Rory quipped back and purposefully licked her lips.

"I guess I have," Tristan said and winked at Rory. Rory blushed and took a sip of her coffee.

Lorelai picked at her food and listened to the banter going back and forth between the two of them. Lorelai watched Tristan as he interacted with her daughter. Tristan reached over, and he gently moved a strand of hair that fell from her ponytail out of her face or let his hand slide on her lap. They had a connection that was different than what Rory had with Logan. Could this be the one, Lorelai wondered and looked up at Luke who was standing at the counter observing the three of them. Lorelai took a sip from her coffee cup and then looked at Tristan.

"Tristan, I would like to get to know you better. Tell me all about yourself, what kind of doctor are you, where do you live and how you saved my daughter's life? Thank you by the way," she said to him and squeezed her daughter's hand.

Rory raised her eyebrows at her mother. She sounded just like her grandmother Emily giving Tristan the third degree.

"I'm a surgeon at Hartford General, and I live in Hartford. When the ambulance brought your daughter to the hospital, she was hemorrhaging and lost a lot of blood during transport, as it was, we ended up giving her a few transfusions. I was able to operate, and she is doing better now. Oh Mare, don't forget you have an appointment next Monday. You need to go in and see Dr. Addison for your follow up," he told her.

"Oh, I forgot."

"It should be on your discharge papers, but I will send Paris a text, so she can send you the information."

"Paris? As in Gellar? Your old college roommate?" Lorelai said looking surprised at her daughter.

"Yes, Mom. Paris is a doctor now at Hartford, and she was called into the ER when they brought me in. Paris was with me in the operating room when Tristan operated, and they stayed with me until Dad came, so I wasn't alone."

Lorelai grabbed her daughter's hand, "I am glad you are doing better. But I am angry that you didn't call me."

"Mom, seriously. I wasn't going to ruin your honeymoon with Luke. You two deserve your time in Fiji. By the way, how was it?"

"It was great, Luke did some deep-sea fishing. We stayed in a Bure, on Turtle Island. We did some shopping, sightseeing, but most of all we relaxed. Rory, you would love it there. Someday hon, I hope you go and visit Fiji."

Rory smiled at her mother, and she turned her head away. She and Logan had talked about going to Fiji. She willed herself to forget about that place as she continued to eat her breakfast. Rory every once and awhile glanced over at Tristan smiling at him. He would smirk at her whenever she licked her lips. It was now close to eight am, and she noticed the bell on the door was ringing more frequently as the morning residents of Stars Hollow came into the diner.

Gypsy came in first, and as soon as she noticed Lorelai sitting with Rory, she walked over and stopped at the table.

"Lorelai, you are here early. Rory, it's good to see you. I was worried about you. How are you feeling?" Gypsy asked her.

Before Rory could respond to Gypsy, Lane, Zack, and the twins came into the diner. Kwon noticed Rory first, and he and his twin brother Steve came running to their table. "Auntie Rory we have missed you," Kwon exclaimed as he threw himself in her arms.

"Mom told us that you were in the hospital are you okay?" Kwon said to her and moved away so that Steve, the quiet one, could give Rory a hug.

"Yes I am fine, and I am happy to see both of you," she responded hugging both of Lane's boys.

Lane and Zack walked over, and Lane said, "Tristan, oh I mean Dr. Dugray," she winked at him, "It's good to see you again. What are you two doing here?" Tristan stood up and shook Zack's hand remember meeting him at the hospital.

"Rory and I decided to come here for breakfast," Tristan responded before sitting back down. Tristan glanced up at the clock and said, "Mare, we have to get back. I need to go home to get some sleep before I go back on duty."

"Oh okay, Mom we have to get going. Tristan has been up all day and night."

"Will, you both, come back and stop over maybe for dinner sometime?" Lorelai asked hating to see her daughter leave. She had so much to talk to her daughter about.

"Yes Mom, I will be back, as soon as I get the okay to drive."

"Lorelai, I promise we will come back for dinner sometime soon," Tristan said.

"Luke, can I have the check?" he asked Luke as he walked towards them.

Luke walked over and said, "No check, you are family, thank you for bringing her here today."

Tristan shook his hand then he slipped a 20 under his plate. Rory stood up hugging her mother and Luke.

"I miss you Kid."

"I miss you too mom "

"Ror, tell your dad that Luke and I plan on coming to the hospital to see your grandmother tomorrow."

"I will and thanks for breakfast Luke." She kissed her mom again, and Tristan shook hands with Luke and embraced Lorelai then they both walked out the door. As they were leaving, Miss Patty and Babette came walking up the street. They hustled over to them.

"Rory dear. I was worried about you," Miss Patty said. Miss Patty then looked at Tristan and smiled. "Rory, who is this nice-looking guy you brought with you today?"

"Hi Babette, Miss Patty. This is Dr. Dugray."

"A doctor, not bad. I almost married a doctor, but I decided against it. You know, Rory, they don't make the perfect husbands since they are rarely home, but they do know their way around your anatomy if you know what I mean."

Rory blushed two shades of pink and Tristan started to laugh.

"I am afraid we have to get back to Hartford. It was nice to meet both of you," Tristan said chuckling, opening the passenger door of the Mustang convertible for Rory.

"Come again," Miss Patty said and winked.

"Oh I intend to," he replied climbing in the car and starting the engine.

They got in, and they headed back to Hartford.

"Ror, I hope you don't take your friend Miss Patty's advice," Tristan said as he pulled onto the expressway to head back to Hartford.

"Why is that?"

"Because," he reached over and took her hand in his and brought it to his lips and kissed it, "I know I am perfect husband material."

"Oh really? Hmm, the Tristan I knew didn't want to be tied down to one girl. He had a string of girls around him."

"That was the young Tristan Dugray, but the Dr. Dugray knows what he wants."

She looked at him giving him a smile and thought again what her life would have been like if she had been home when he came looking for her.

"Mare, I thought we could go back to my apartment."

She bit her lip and looked out of the window, so he said, "Or would you like me to drop you off at the hospital."

"Tris, go home and get some sleep. You can drop me off at the hospital, and then when you wake up, you can call me."

"Are you sure?"

'Yes, Tris I'm sure. Thank you for breakfast."

He reached over with his right hand for her hand again. "I enjoyed meeting your mother and Luke again. I decided this morning that I better introduce myself to them since I plan on seeing them for Thanksgiving."

"What?"

"Yes, we are spending Thanksgiving together, remember."

"But my grandmother?"

"We can do three, one in the hospital with her, but she might be out by then, one with my parents and one with your family. "

"But I only saw your father once."

"Don't worry I promise, you will meet them before Thanksgiving. How about tonight? Or is that too fast? I usually have dinner with them on Friday at the club. I was thinking it would be a perfect place for you to meet them."

Tristan pulled into the hospital parking garage into the space that was reserved for him. He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over and put his hand on the back of her neck.

"Look I had to leave before we ever had a chance to see what that kiss was between us. I felt an attraction to you when we were 16, and Mare, I still feel it now."

"Tris, I don't know if I am ready."

"We can take it slow," he responded running his thumb down her cheek.

"But what if I want to go out occasionally with someone else," she asked as she leaned her cheek into his hand.

"Who? Jess? Dean? That Yale Dick?" he responded suddenly becoming annoyed.

"I don't know," she replied defensively.

Tristan had to control his anger. He took a deep breath and leaned his forehead on hers. "Okay, I understand, as long it isn't Huntzberger. "

"How about you?" she asked him looking at his lips and wishing he would lean in and kiss her.

"I don't date." He responded rubbing his nose against hers.

"But you want to date me?"

He looked at her and smoothed the hair away from her face, trailing his finger down her cheek and across her lips. She gently kissed his fingers as he touched her lips.

"Yeah, I do," he told her as she felt his warm breath on her lips.

"Can you give me time?" she asked worried that he would say no.

"All the time in the world. I'm not going anywhere, plus I know you will choose me."

Tristan leaned forward, and Rory felt her pulse begin to race. Looking into his eyes, she saw the deep pools of blue that displayed his soul. His lips gently touched hers and time stopped, as her breath caught in her throat.

"You are that sure of yourself," she whispered.

"I am, I know where you live, and I know now, by the way, you respond to me, that you are not going to run away this time."

He gently cupped the back of her head and pulled her towards him. Leaning in he brushed his tongue across her lips and she opened her mouth. He slipped his tongue in her mouth and their tongues tangled. He could taste the sweetness of the whipped cream and coffee on her tongue and felt her undo her seat belt arching her body closer to him.

"What time?" she whispered breathlessly.

"Time for what?" he answered his mind filled with the desire for her.

"You asked me to go to dinner tonight with you to meet your parents," she responded breaking away from their kiss.

"Yes I did, didn't I," he responded sitting back in his seat. "We meet at seven o'clock. I will pick you up at six thirty."

He leaned back over and kissed her again gently, and she returned his kiss with more passion than she thought she had. He let go of her as she leaned back in her seat. His face hovered over hers as she looked into his dark blue eyes.

"Mare," he whispered as he gently traced her lips with his finger. He sat back in his seat and opened the car door. He climbed out of the car and walked around opening up the door on the passenger side. He then leaned in, pressing her against the car he kissed her again pulling her hips close to his. She arched toward him and felt his erection against her stomach. She rubbed her hands down his muscular back. She knew he desired her, and she had the same feelings building up inside of her. Rory broke the kiss and looked at him.

"Are you sure you want to wait?" she asked him when the kiss ended.

Leaning his forehead on hers, he said, "I am patient. I learned these last 14 years that you can't rush a good thing, and you are a good thing. I can't promise you that I won't feel some jealousy when I see you with someone else. But I will be waiting for you, and I am not going to rush it." He gently ran his fingers down her cheek again. She bit her bottom lip and nodded.

"Come on I will walk you to your grandmother's room. I want you to promise me that you will text me when you get home, okay?" he told her taking her by her hand.

"Okay," she told him.

They walked hand in hand into the hospital walking towards the black elevator that the doctors and nursing staff used. He punched the button to Bliss 11 where her grandmother was. They walked past the nurses' station holding hands. Tristan stopped to say hello to the charge nurse Jeff making a point to introduce her to Jeff. Still holding her hand, he walked into her grandmother's room. Dr. Ross was there checking her grandmother and smiled at the two of them when they walked in.

"Good morning, Rory and Doctor Dugray. Doc, I thought you had today off?"

"I do. I picked up Mare, early this morning and took her to breakfast. I am dropping her off so she can spend time with her grandmother, and now I am heading home to get some sleep." Tristan than turned to Francine smiling at her he said, "Good morning Mrs. Hayden, you are looking better today."

"Thank you, your Janlan Dugray's grandson aren't you?" she asked him looking him up and down.

"Yes, I am," he responded.

"You came to the house to check on Rory. Do you like my granddaughter?" Francine asked him directly. Francine was not one to beat around the bush when she wanted a direct answer.

"I do," Tristan said and looked at Rory who was still holding her hand.

"I know that you are Janlan Dugray's grandson and that you are from a very respectful family. I expect that you will treat her with respect. That girl has had enough hardship in her life, and I am not going to see her get hurt again. She is my eldest grandchild, so she is the most precious thing I have on this earth."

Rory looked surprised when her grandmother said that. She turned and looked at Tristan with surprise expression on her face.

"I will, I promise," Tristan said, and he took her grandmother's hand in his and gently squeezed her hand in response.

" I don't want you to worry, Mrs. Hayden. You should rest, and I promise you that I will not harm your granddaughter. She is very precious to me too." Tristan said holding Rory's grandmother's hand as he stood beside her bed.

"Grandma, I am going to sit with you for a while," Rory told her.

Tristan smiled down at her at Francine as she squeezed his hand. Tristan leaned down and kissed Rory on the forehead.

"I will pick you up at six thirty," he reminded her.

"I will call you when I get home," she said smiling back at him.

Tristan and Connor walked out of the room to the black elevator together. Connor hit button 5 and Tristan hit the button for the parking garage.

"What's going on, Doc," Connor asked him.

"I'm taking Mare to meet my parents tonight."

Connor looked at him in surprise. Tristan never introduced a girl to his parents. The door slid open to the fifth floor. Connor hesitated a moment and held the door with his hand and said, "Doc, be careful."

"Don't worry. I don't plan to screw things up and lose Mare his time."

Connor saluted Tristan and walked off the elevator. Tristan smirked and pushed the button again for the parking garage. Leaning on the back wall with his arms across his chest he thought about tonight's date.


	16. Chapter 15 Secrets Shared

**Chapter 15 Secrets Shared**

Rory pulled the chair closer to her grandmother's bed. Taking her grandmother's hand in hers they began to talk.

"You are here early," Francine said to her.

"I am," she said, "Tristan surprised me this morning, and called me when he got off duty and invited me to breakfast. He surprised me and took me to Stars Hollow so he could meet mom and Luke."

"That was nice of him. Rory, you seem to like this young man," Francine said to her.

"I do grandma. He told me today that he came to Stars Hollow looking for me after he graduated from Military School."

""I never realized that you both went to Chilton together. So you knew him there," Francine said to her.

"Yes, I only knew him for a year. Tristan was a flirt and he had this habit of teasing me and calling me Mary. Mom gave him a nickname and we referred to him as Bible Boy. Then he left Chilton and went to Military school at the middle of our Junior year," Rory said.

Francine watched her granddaughter smile as she mentioned how the young man teased her in school.

"I remember when his parents made the decision to send him to Military school. That was a difficult choice for his parents to make and for his grandfather to accept. So you never saw him when he came to Stars Hollow? When was that?" Francine asked her.

"That was the summer I graduated from Chilton and went backpacking through Europe with my mom. If I was home that summer things might have been different," Rory said thinking about Dean and Logan.

"Did you like him back then?" her grandmother asked her.

"I don't know, maybe. When I graduated from Chilton I no longer had a boyfriend. I had thought about Tristan after he left, but he never contacted me, and I had no way to get in touch with him. With him leaving we never had a chance to get to know each other that way," she said thinking back to the summer when Jess left, and Dean married Lindsay right after graduation.

Francine patted her granddaughter's hand, "Rory never worry about the what if's in life. I learn that there are things we cannot change or control. They will happen. Life has their own plans for us. Sometimes the things that are unexpected turn out to be the best gifts. Like you my dear."

Rory smiled at her grandmother and leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"You seem very happy, and your father and I are glad to see that smile on your face. We have been worried about you," her grandmother said. Rory adjusted the blankets for her grandmother and poured more water in her cup.

"Rory, you mentioned Dean. Is he the young man you went to the cotillion with?

"Yes, Dean and I dated in high school. Funny Tristan and Dean never liked each other, and now they work together," Rory told her.

"But you dated that young Huntzberger boy, correct? Emily led me to believe that you two had a serious relationship," she asked her.

"Oh well, umm, yea, but it's over now. What did grandmother say?" Rory said.

"Emily spoke of him often. She was so enraptured by the Huntzbergers. I never could understand why, but she was so sure you were going to marry him. However, I was glad to hear that you broke up with the young Huntzberger," Francine told her.

"Yes, grandma and Shira were friends and at first when we broke up, they were disappointed. Grandpa understood that it was important for me to go off and work, but Grandma Emily never really understood," Rory said.

Francine nodded her head in agreement with Rory. She then continued.

"I saw Emily one time, and we got in an argument. It was right after your father inherited the money from his grandfather Hayden. She was upset that she no longer was paying for your education. I told her to stay out of your life. She didn't like that, but I didn't want her to ruin your life the way she did your mothers and Christopher's, "

"I didn't know that you and grandma ever spoke to each other, " Rory said.

"We did from time to time, but most of the time I spoke to Richard more. He and Chris would give me pictures of you and let me know how you were doing. I wanted to see you, but your mother and Straub kept you away, " Francine said as tears filled her eyes.

"You know, if your grandfather Straub had been alive, he would never have approved of you dating Mitchum Huntzbergers son. He never liked the Huntzberger family. He thought that Mitchum and Shira were too pretentious for their own good. Mitchum was a bully, he would say things to people not carrying if what he said hurt their feelings or not. He even intimidated his own children."

Rory smirked and thought this was funny. She always thought that Straub was a bully, especially after hearing stories about him from her father and mother. Rory reached over and hugged her grandmother.

"Rory, do you mind if I ask you a question?" Francine asked her.

"You can ask me anything grandmother."

"Did you love him?" Francine asked her granddaughter.

"Who?" Rory asked her wondering if she meant her grandfather.

"The young Huntzberger boy, "she replied.

"Oh…..I thought I did. But when he asked me to marry him. I wasn't ready. I wanted to work, travel, and prove something. Plus his family never made me feel welcome."

"But you two got back together," she said.

"Yes, Dad told you, didn't he." Rory said to her.

Her grandmother nodded and said, "What happened?"

"I went to Hamburg to a conference where Logan and I ran into each other. We started to see each other again, whenever I was in London or Europe. We had been together for a while when Grandpa died. Logan wanted to come to the funeral, but I told him no. I was afraid to have him come to the funeral with me, I wasn't sure how my mother or Grandmother would react. When I returned to London, Logan told me he loved me, but he was dating another woman at the time."

Rory paused and took a deep breath, "We had this complex arrangement. I am not sure if it was love, or dependency, or what it was. He had become a bad habit that I couldn't stop, " Rory explained to her embarrassed. Rory stood up and walked toward the window and looked out over the park that was below.

"Sometimes a couple stifle each other, especially if one person has a personality that is larger than their partners. One person's voice becomes silent, and eventually, they don't speak up when they should have." Francine told her.

Rory turned from the window and looked at her grandmother. "Like mom and Dad?" she asked her.

"Maybe. Your father still loves your mother, you know."

"I know, but he waited too long," Rory said playing with the flower arrangement that the Huntzbergers had sent to her grandmother.

Francine observed her granddaughter. The smile was now gone, and a sadness clouded her eyes.

"So what made you decide that you and Logan were not meant to be?"

Touching the flowers Rory said, "We were having lunch at a restaurant in London and Mitchum came over to our table. He acted like he was surprised to see us together. I remember him making a comment about me being there. Logan lied to him and said that I had just arrived in London and we met for lunch, but I had been there for four days. Mitchum smirked and said in his arrogant tone of voice, 'Did you know, Rory, Logan's fiancée is in France?" I remembered sitting at the table feeling betrayed. Logan had planned for his father to run into us at this restaurant so that his father could tell me about his fiancée. I spent all my savings flying back and forth to London to be with him. I had been living in a walk up in lower Manhattan never really spending time there and lying to my mother and father. Telling them my roommate in London was a girl named Dee Dee. At that moment I realized that I was better than this. I am Lorelai Gilmore Hayden, I shouldn't be unemployed or dating a man who is engaged to someone else, so I packed my bags and said goodbye.."

Her grandmother listened to her granddaughter and saw the tears fill her eyes.

"Rory come here dear. You did the right thing. You are too good for the Huntzbergers."

Rory went back and sat on the side of the bed next to her grandmother. Rory pulled out a Kleenex from the box and wiped her tears.

"Grandma, you are the only person I told this too. My mother doesn't know, and dad doesn't know either. I was so embarrassed sitting there at that restaurant, it was at that moment I knew that I was fooling myself. I said goodbye to Logan that day. Then three months later Logan appeared in Stars Hollow and he took me to New Hampshire. I told him again it was over. Logan is like a reflex, a bad habit that I can't break. Logan will come to my house or my place of work and smiles telling me that he needs me, and he wants to take care of me. Grandma. I know that he isn't good for me. I'm so afraid.." Rory told her as tears slowly leaked from her eyes.

"What are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid that he will come, he will tell me he loves me and can't live without me. I won't be able to say no to him. I am afraid, because of this relationship I had with him, that I will never trust another man when they tell me that they love me. I will be like my mother dating a variety of men and still be in love with the first man in my life. I don't want to be like my mother, I want to have a career and a man like Grandpa Gilmore who will love me for my strengths and my weaknesses. Who can stand up to his family and tell them that I am the person in his life," Rory confessed to her grandmother.

Francine looked at her beautiful granddaughter and decided it was time she gave her some of her advice.

"Rory, you will find that good man who will love you and only you. Like the way Richard loved Emily. I know if your mother and father had waited and had you about four years later they would have married and had that type of love. Unfortunately, their story is one of those "What If's" that can't be changed.

"Rory you are a brilliant, talented young woman. Don't underestimate yourself. Don't be afraid to let someone love you and let them be in your life. Just because the young Logan Huntzberger didn't know the value of you, doesn't mean that there isn't someone out there who will love you." Rory squeezed her grandmother's hand and wiped another tear from her face. Just then the charge nurse, Jeff came into the room.

"Excuse me, Rory? I wondered if you would like to help me get your grandmother out of bed so that she can sit in the chair. What do you think Francine do you feel up to it? Doctor Ross feels that it is important for your recovery," Jeff tells her

Francine gives him a weak smile and says, "I think so."

"Rory can you get her pillow? She will need to hug it whenever she coughs," Jeff tells her. He moves her IV bag to the other pole and then removes the wires that were on her body that monitors her vitals. Rory walks around the bed and helps Jeff move Francine from the bed to her chair. Jeff adjusted the pillows around her and rehooks the wires on her before he leaves.

"How is that, Grandma?" Rory asked her grandmother as she moved a chair closer to her so they could continue to talk.

"It feels good to be out of that bed."

"Do you want to watch tv?" Rory asked her.

"No, I want to continue to talk to you. There is so much that I want to tell you, do you know that the day you were born, I came with your father to the hospital. Your mother was sleeping and we went to the nursery. Your parents were just children, your grandfather Straub felt that they were too young to know what love was, plus neither of them had ever held a job in their life, and he knew that they could not afford to raise a child. The moment your dad saw you and held you in his arms he knew that he had to make a better living for himself. Unfortunately, Christopher was afraid of his father, so he never told his father what he wanted to do. Your grandfather Straub…. well let's just say between you and me, he had different plans for your father."

Rory held her grandmother's hand and gave it a little squeeze. She could tell that she was getting tired and wanted her to rest.

Rory looked at her grandmother said, "I know those plans didn't involve mom or me. But you know Grandma it worked out, I have you, Dad and my little sister Gigi. I love Dad, he has been great, but he …" before Rory could finish, Francine interrupted.

"Disappointed you so many times?"

"No, I was going to say tries too hard."

"Rory that was our fault. We should have let him take responsibility for you and your mother. Your father begged us to let him go and live with you and your mother. "

"So why didn't you?"

"I guess, I wasn't ready to let my son be a man. I would look at him and see a young boy. My little Christopher who loved to hang out with the older boys at the club. I had no idea that your mother and Chris had..."

"Sex?"

"Yes, no mother wants to admit their child is having sex. The night Richard called inviting us over to their home to tell us about Lorelai,, your parents were sitting together in the living room holding hands. Richard told them to leave the room, and they went to sit on the landing. When Emily told us Lorelai was pregnant, Straub went crazy. Richard and Straub had a big argument, and our friendship between the families ended. That evening Straub went home and went into his office making phone calls. He was angry at Christopher and your grandfather."

Rory sat there quietly and noticed that her grandmother started to cry.

"Grandma don't cry, it's okay."

"No dear, you need to know I wanted you as much as your father and mother did. It was Straub who was angry. He and Emily at first thought that your mom should have an abortion. Emily was afraid of what everyone would say because her daughter had a child out of wedlock," Francine told her.

Rory was surprised to hear this. She knew that Straub didn't want her, he told him that herself, but her grandmother? Well, maybe that didn't surprise her since her grandmother Emily always manipulated everything. She never would do anything unless she got something back in return.

Rory sat quietly and listened as she felt the tears in her own eyes, and she gently squeezed her grandmother's hand letting her know that it was okay. Trying to compose herself Francine took a deep breath and continued.

"Rory, your grandfather, sent your father to Andover before you were born, and Emily sent your mother to your great Aunt Hope's home in France. Your father ran away twice and so did your mother until finally, Emily let her return to their home. The day you were born, your mother wrote your grandparents a note and went to the hospital by herself. After you were born, she asked the hospital to call your father. He had come home again, and we took him to the hospital. He held you in his arms and looked at your mother and said, 'Lore, let's get married.' I think your mother was afraid, she knew that she wasn't ready, just a child herself and so she said, no. Straub went nuts, and so did Richard. The two men had decided that the kids would get married and live with Richard and Emily and that Chris would work for Richard's insurance company and continue his schooling at Yale."

"Yale? Why not Harvard or Princeton? And why didn't it happen?" Rory asked her.

"Because your mother took you and left. For five months we had no idea where you were. She brought you to Stars Hollow where you lived, and she raised you away from the influence of her parents. Your father knew why she moved you there, and your mother is such a strong-willed person she wanted to protect you and felt it was better to raise you away from her mother. But by doing this, she kept you away from me too. She did not want you to grow up in that life she left. She wanted more for you, and I understood. However, for the longest time, I couldn't forgive her. It was your father who finally explained everything to me."

Rory sat quietly and felt the tears slip out of her eyes and quickly wiped a tear as it moved down her cheek with the back of her hand. Francine looked at her beautiful granddaughter.

"I'm sorry," Rory whispered.

"No dear, you should not be sorry. This was one of those things that had to happen. You have made me, your mother, father and your grandfather very proud. Do you know we attended your cotillion and your graduation at Chilton? We stood in the back, and we watched you."

"No I didn't know," Rory whispered.

"Your father had called and was upset that he couldn't make it back for your graduation, so we went. Your grandfather Straub was proud that you were the Valedictorian that later he was telling everyone at the club about his granddaughter who graduated Valedictorian of her class. It was always his dream that when you graduated from an Ivy League school that you would join his business."

"Grandma, I'm glad that you were there even if I didn't know about it.."

Rory moved out of her chair leaning down and hugged her.

"Rory, would you mind getting my hairbrush?"

Rory found her hairbrush and returned to her grandmother who was still sitting in the chair. Smiling she looked at her grandmother and asked, "Grandma, would you like me to brush your hair?"

"Oh, that would be lovely dear."

Rory stood behind her and began to brush her long dark hair. Her grandmother closed her eyes and relaxed feeling the soothing gentle strokes of the brush.

"Grandma would you like me to put your hair in a braid or do you want to keep it down."

"Oh a braid would be lovely dear," Francine responded and smiled as she felt Rory gently pulling it back into a long braid.

As Rory continued to braid, her grandmother's hair, Francine continued to talk to her.

"You know, I was 23 when your father was born, he was such a happy little boy. Back then there was a group of us that used to play bridge together. There was your grandfather Straub and me, your grandparents Emily and Richard, the Dugrays, Janlan and Bridget and the Huntzbergers. Elias and his wife Bunny were older than us. They had four children by the time your father and mother were born. We would all take the kids to the Country club and meet there. The men would play golf while we woman would sit and play cards, and the club had enough staff employed so we never worried about them. The children would play outside or swim in the pool, and when they got older, they hung out together."

"I never knew that you were all good friends," she said to her grandmother as she fixed her hair.

"Oh yes, every year Emily would host one of her elaborate Christmas parties. I think she still held them when you were a baby, but by that time we stop going. I remember that the Huntzbergers always had a nanny with them to supervise the children. Elias was always brusque. He felt that I was fussing over your father too much and told me at one of those Christmas parties, "Francine, leave your son alone. He can't be a man if you fuss over him. You and Straub spend too much time with him. Why don't you come away with us to Maine, he can stay with our brood and the nanny." Your grandfather Straub thought that was a great idea so that spring, we went away for a week with the Huntzbergers. Your father was thirteen, and he stayed with the housekeeper and the cook at the Huntzbergers home, actually it was a mausoleum if you wanted to call it anything. It wasn't really a home. Anyway, the two youngest Huntzberger children were still at home, having returned from boarding school."

"Two youngest? You mean Logan has aunts and uncles close to dad's age?"

"Yes, Alec, he was about two or three years older than your father, and he has a sister. Amelia a year or two older than him. Your father idolized Alec."

"Funny Dad and Logan never said anything about them when they met."

"Well after you were born, your dad and Alec never saw each other again, and knowing your father, he probably forgot about him."

"So what happened on the trip grandma?"

"I didn't enjoy that trip, I worried about your father. Elias was miserable on that trip. Bunny had confessed to me that Elias was concerned about their oldest son Mitchum and his involvement in a secret society at Yale. He began to drink a lot and he would begin to order the servants around and criticized Bunny about the staff she hired. Poor Bunny.."

" You know I met Elias Huntzberger," Rory told her grandmother. "Logan and I had just started dating. Logan's sister told them that Logan was bringing his girlfriend to dinner. His grandfather was very rude to me and said that I wasn't good enough to marry into their family. Shira said that I wasn't brought up to be married into their family, then turned and asked Logan whatever happened to that Fallon Girl that she liked so much. We had been dating for a week. I had no intentions of marrying him. Logan was embarrassed, and he stood up to his grandfather. If only he could stand up to his father….." Rory said softly.

"Rory enough about them. It's all in the past, and that is a part of life you can't change," her grandmother said firmly.

Rory put the hairbrush away and sat back in her chair. They heard a knock at the door, and an aide came in with Francine's lunch. Rory helped the aide adjust the tray to fit over the chair. When the aide left, she lifted the lid off of her plate. On the food tray were a bowl of chicken soup, some jello, a roll, and cup of hot water. Rory removed the lid off of the tea cup for her and put the tea bag in the cup of hot water.

"That looks pretty good," Rory said, "Here let me open the plastic off the silverware,"

Rory took the spoon and unwrapped it for her grandmother. She handed the spoon to her grandmother, and Francine took it. She took a sip of her soup and then looked at her granddaughter.

"Rory I know that you are a strong independent woman like your mother. But recently, you just experienced the biggest loss a young woman should never have had to endure. You did it alone, and in the process, you had your heart broken."

Rory looked at her grandmother and was going to protest, but Francine interrupted her.

"If your father and I can help make your life easier then we will."

Rory hugged her again and kissed her cheek. She then whispered, "Thank you, Grandma. ."

Francine closed her eyes again and smiled. Rory stood up and taking a Kleenex from the box on the stand by the bed, she wiped her eyes and blew her nose.

Francine opened her eyes again and looked at her granddaughter.

"Rory, I don't want you to be afraid to love someone. Your first love, when your heart is broken, is often the hardest to get over."

Smiling weakly at her granddaughter she reached out for her hand. Rory grabbed her grandmother's hand and held it,

"The right man. He is out there waiting for you, and he may be closer than you think. "she whispered to her granddaughter.

"Grandma?" Rory whispered.

"What dear?"

"Do you ever wish that things could have been different?"

"Yes, I do. I wish that I stood up to your grandfather and told him that you were my granddaughter and to hell with society. I wish that I could have been in your life where I was able to play a more important role in it," Francine said to her.

Rory leaned over and hugged her grandmother.

"Grandma that's okay. You are here now."

Rory wiped the tear from her cheek. She sat beside her grandmother and watched her eat. The nurse came in to check on Francine and assisted her to the bathroom when Chris and Gigi walked in.

"Where's your grandmother?" Chris asked when he walked in.

"She's in the bathroom. She has been sitting up in the chair and just ate most of her lunch."

The toilet flushed, and the nurse and her grandmother came out of the bathroom. She helped Francine get back into the bed. When the nurse left, Chris went over and kissed his mother. Gigi went and sat on the edge of her grandmother's bed.

"Where did you take off to this morning?" Christopher asked his oldest daughter.

"Oh, Tristan called this morning when his shift ended at six. He invited me out to breakfast and then surprised me and took me to a fantastic diner."

"Isn't that early for you?" Christopher asked her with a smile on his face.

"Yes, but it was worth it," Rory responded.

"A fantastic diner, huh, was the food good?" he asked her. "Where is it I will have to go and check it out."

"You've been there before, Dad. It's Luke's. We went to Stars Hollow and had breakfast with Mom and Luke this morning."

Christopher smiled and shook his head. "Smart man, so where is Dr. Dugray now?"

"Sleeping, I guess. Tristan brought me back to the hospital so that I can spend time with grandma. They put grandma in the chair, and she just finished her lunch. Since your here now dad, do you mind if I go home? Jess called, and he has something he wants to tell me. I think he has a lead on a job for me.."

"Ror, before you leave can we talk about something else?"

"Sure," she said and followed her father out of the room.

Gigi stayed in the room and was showing her grandmother the sketch pad she had and the pictures that she was drawing.

"Listen, Monday I have to meet with the lawyers. Your Grandmother and I were talking, and she wants to update some of her papers. Can you come to the office with me in the morning?"

"Do you need my help with the papers?"

"Yes, she is changing the will, and she wants to make sure your name is in there."

"But I am already in Grandma Gilmore's will," she told her father

"I know, but she insists that she wants you in her will too," Chris told her gently

She looked at her father and shrugged her shoulders.

"Why now? I mean for years…"

"Ror, it's important to her and to me," he said to her. He looked at her with sad eyes.

"Alright. I could meet you at your office after my appointment on Monday morning. Tristan reminded me this morning that I have a follow-up appointment for my surgery, but I don't remember the time. I think it is on my discharge papers. I will look at them when I get home and call you."

"You don't need to call me I will see you when I get home, and we will talk about it then."

"Oh and Dad, I won't be home for dinner. Tristan is taking me out for dinner tonight."

Christopher smiled at his daughter. "Twice in one day. This young man must be serious. Is this a date?"

"Maybe," she said smiling up at him.

"Hon, I don't want to tell you what to do, just try to remember what your mother said."

"What do you mean dad?" she questioned him.

"Just take your time, you don't need to rush. We are worried about you," he told her as he gently put his arm around her shoulder.

Rory wrapped her arms around her father's waist and hugged him.

"Thank you dad." She then walked over to the blue elevator and got on it.

As she rode the elevator down, it stopped at the tenth floor. Dr. Ethan Whyles walked on. He looked up at her and smiled.

"Well hello again. You're Miss Hayden, right?"

"Yes, Rory," she said and offered her hand. Ethan took her hand in his and gave her a charming smile.

"Ethan," he said to her, "Are you leaving?"

"Yes. I am going home, I have some work to do."

"Work, and what kind of work does a woman as lovely as you do."

She leaned against the elevator wall and adjusted her messenger bag.

"I am a writer and journalist."

"Interesting, and who do you work for, the Times, the Post, HPG?"

"Right now, I am a Freelance reporter," she said with a smile.

The elevator pinged indicating that they were at the lobby. The door opened, and Rory walked out of the elevator. She said goodbye to him and holding her head high she left the elevator and walked towards the door. Ethan stood there watching her as she walked out the door and get into a taxi.

Ethan was intrigued with this young woman. This was the first woman that Tristan seemed to be interested in. Rory was beautiful, smart and rich. Different than the women that Tristan usually dated. Ethan had a fiancée, someone from Chicago but they had an open relationship. His fiancée's father was a plastic surgeon from California, and she was a pharmaceutical representative. She didn't like the winter weather and decided that Ethan could go to the northeast and work in Hartford until he got a better job in California or Florida. She kept the engagement ring, but they both agreed that in five years if they hadn't found someone else, they would get married. That was six months ago, and Ethan was happy with this arrangement and playing the field.

Ethan stopped and got his double espresso then returned to his office. The ER was quiet, so he sat down at his desk and turned on his computer. Thinking about Rory, he began to do a google search. He remembered that she went to Yale. So he pulled up the Yale Alumni records and typed in her name, Rory Hayden. Interesting, no Rory Hayden listed, in fact, no one named Rory. He then looked up her name in the Chilton Alumni site. Ethan found the year that Tristan should have graduated. He remembered that she was the Valedictorian. He found the link for their yearbook and looked through it. Bingo… there was her picture, but the name under it was Lorelai Leigh Gilmore not Hayden. He found many pictures of her on committees and one of her standing beside Paris, this must be the connection. But why did Doc refer to her as Mary? He looked at the many images of Rory in the yearbook and thought about her. A beautiful woman with such a unique name like Lorelai, he wondered, why she call herself Rory. He decided that he needed to talk to Paris and find out more about this beautiful blue-eyed brunette who was a freelance reporter.


	17. Chapter 16 Taking Back Control

**Chapter 16 Close Encounter**

After lunch, the nurse had Francine rest in bed for an hour before helping her back in the chair. The respiratory therapist came and helped her with her first treatment, explaining to Gigi how she could help her grandmother. While she was working with the therapist, Dr. Ross came and met with Christopher where they went into the lounge to talk.

"Mr. Hayden, the nursing staff and respiratory therapist have reported to me that your mother is making great progress and I am happy to see your mother sitting up today. I want to send the Physical Therapist, Krissi, to evaluate her tomorrow."

"That's great news. I believe I met Krissi when she came to our home and worked with my daughter Rory. I know my mother had liked her a lot and so did Rory. How long will my mother be here in the hospital?" Christopher asked him.

"It is too soon to say, Mr. Hayden. However, Krissi and I will talk when she is finished with her evaluation and then we will have a better understanding of how long she will need to be here. But right at the moment everything looks great."

They sat there for another five minutes before Dr. Ross had to leave. Christopher then returned to the hospital room where Gigi was entertaining her grandmother. They stayed and visited for another hour before he and Gigi left to return home.

Gigi raced into the house before her father calling, "Rory we're back."

"I'm back here," Rory called from the bedroom she was using.

Rory was in her room trying to decide what to wear to dinner when Gigi walked into her room.

"What'cha doing Ror?" she asked her sister.

"Looking for something to wear to dinner tonight."

"Oh, do you have a date?" Gigi asked inquisitively.

"I guess, Dr. Dugray is picking me up and taking me to the country club for dinner so that I can meet his parents."

"Dr. Dugray, is he the doctor that came to visit you?"

"Yes,"

"You know your other friend, the tall one? He came by to grandma's room today?"

"Oh you mean Dean," Rory replied.

"Yes, he came by to check to see how she was doing. He is really nice, and he talked to me and told me that if I wanted, he would show me the ambulance. He and Dad talked for a while. How does he know Dad?" Gigi asked her.

Gigi plopped herself on Rory's bed and was leaning on the throw pillows. Rory turned and faced her sister leaning against the closet door.

"When I was a student at Chilton, Dean and I used to date. He lived in Stars Hollow and went to high school there with Lane. He used to work at Taylors grocery store in Stars Hollow. and he was my first boyfriend and the first boy I ever kissed."

"Really? What did Dad say?" Gigi asked with enthusiasm.

"I don't know if he ever knew?" Rory chuckled picturing her father's reaction.

"Why not?"

"Because Dad didn't live with me when I was your age."

"Then who did you live with?" Gigi asked her.

"My mom, in the Crap Shack in Stars Hollow. You've been there, Gigi."

Rory walked over and sat beside her sister on the bed.

"Did Lorelai know you kissed him?" Gigi sat up and crossed her legs on the bed hugging one of the pillows.

Rory laughed, "Yes, I told her. Why all the questions?"

"I just wondered.. Rory what was it like? your first kiss… I mean."

"Come here," Rory said to her sister and hugged her tightly. "It was a little frightening, yet it was good. I wasn't expecting it and I ran away and told my best friend Lane about it."

"And Lorelai didn't get mad? 

"Well she did only because I didn't tell her first, when I told Lane, her mother overheard us talking and then she told mom. But she understood."

"Rory, I wish Lorelai was my mom too."

"Gigi, my mom thinks of you like her other daughter, and if you ever want to talk about boys, you can always talk to Lorelai or me."

Gigi smiled at her sister and hugged her tight. Rory understood how her sister felt. She had wished for many years that her mother and father were still married.

"You know Gig. If you aren't too busy, I could use your help deciding on what I should wear to dinner tonight."

Gigi got up and went to the huge walk in closet. Pushing the clothes aside Gigi began to look through the racks of clothing. Suddenly Gigi spotted something that caught her eye and knew that her mother would wear this on a date.

"Hmmm," she said, " Why don't you wear this dress. It is simple, and I like the black lace over the gold."

"I forgot about that dress, you know I bought that in London last spring. I wonder if it still fits."

Rory lifted the dress and looked at it. She had bought it to wear to a cocktail party that Logan was going to take her too, but they never went, and she returned to Connecticut instead. She went into the large walk-in closet and tried it on. It was a sheath dress with a round collar, cap sleeves, with a black floral embroidered overlay. The sheath underneath was in a rose gold satin material with a sweetheart neckline. It fit her perfectly, in fact, it fit her better than when she bought it last year.

Rory came out of the closet and stood in front of the full-length mirror.

"What do you think?" she asked her little sister.

"Rory, it's perfect. Do you have black shoes?"

"Yes, I do, I think I bought some jewelry to wear with it too. Gigi can you look in my jewelry case for a pair of rose gold dangle earrings and the matching cuff bracelet."

Gigi began searching through her case and pulled them out as Rory went and found her classic black pumps.

"Here you go Rory," Gigi said and put them on the dressing table. "They do go perfectly with that dress. How are you going to wear your hair?"

"I don't know, what do you think?"

Gigi had Rory sit at the vanity and started brushing her hair. She pulled it back in a bun at the back of her neck and twisted, but they both thought it looked too formal, so they decided that Rory would use her curling iron and wear it down. Rory looked at the clock, and it was a little after five.

"I think I better shower and get ready. I will call you so you can help me with my hair."

"Okay," she responded and gave her sister a hug and then left the room. Rory went into her bathroom and began to get ready.

Chris was in his home office on the phone with Eric Brady. Eric was a CFO of a large publishing company in England that he did a lot of business with. He was thinking of offering him a job to help run the publishing companies that Hayden and Son owned.

"Eric sorry to call so late. I hope I didn't wake you."

"No it's okay Chris, I was just finishing up some reports before going to bed. How is your mother?"

"She is doing better; the doctor is pleased with her improvement, but it may be awhile before she comes home," Christopher responded.

"I'm sorry to hear that Chris. I hope she has a speedy recovery," he told Chris.

"Thanks Eric I appreciate that. The reason I am calling is that my mother and I have been talking, and we would like you to come and work for us. Are you still interested?"

"Yes, I am, but I thought your daughter will be taking it over," Eric responded.

"Rory is hesitant, so I am hoping with you here we can convince her that there is a place for her at Hayden and Sons. Her experience as Editor at the Yale Daily News, at the Stamford Gazette and also a few newspapers have given her the experience for publications, but she doesn't feel that she has the business experience to run a company."

"Oh I understand. When did she work for the Stamford Gazette, isn't that owned by HPG?"

"While she was in college, she did an internship there. Why?"

"Didn't you tell me that Mitchum had approached you to buy your business?"

"Yes, but we aren't interested. So are you interested in coming to work for us?"

"Yes, I am, and I am glad to hear that you aren't interested in selling it to HPG. I will give my notice tomorrow, so I can be in Manhattan by the beginning of December. Will that work for your timeline?"

"Yes that will be perfect. Why don't you come directly to Hartford instead of my office in New York. My mother moved the headquarters here in downtown Hartford, making it easier for her to attend meetings. Right now she plans on keeping her seat on the board but will be giving up most of her control to you and hopefully Rory if we can convince her to join us."

"That sounds good. I will see you in December," Eric said. The two men said goodbye and hung up.

Eric poured himself a drink. He was surprised that Christopher Hayden actually reached out to him and offered him the job. It had been awhile since they spoke, so he thought that the job offer to work at Hayden and Sons would never happen.

The publishing industry was changing, and Eric noticed that many large publishing companies began to struggle with the digital age. Haydon and Sons Publishing House was one of those companies, and so he approached them with the idea of using digital publication and reporting. When they had first met in late August and early September, Christopher was very interested. Christopher, having a background in Computer Software, agreed with him. He was already exploring options to let his company expand to the digital publishing and reporting. After Eric and Christopher's third meeting in September, Christopher told Eric he needed to meet with his mother who held the controlling interest in the company and would get back to him.

When HPG heard that Hayden and Sons Publishing House was looking to expand their publication digitally, Mitchum made his move and approached Christopher. Rumors had been flying in the publishing world when Christopher had to cancel two appointments with HPG due to family emergencies. Eric then called Christopher again and offered his service to his company. He was very pleased now that he made that call. Sitting at his desk, Eric Googled, Christopher Hayden's name. There was a short article in the Haydon and Sons Website and a photograph of him and his mother. The simple biography stated that Christopher Hayden was single with two daughters. The oldest daughter graduated from Yale. This must be the daughter that Christopher had referred to, he thought.

Eric picked up the phone and made a call to his best friend and stepbrother, Seth McFarlane, who was living in Manhattan and worked for Wall Street in international financing.

"Seth it's Eric, how are the wedding plans coming?" Eric said when Seth answered the phone.

"Eric, I was just thinking about you. Can you believe this, I will be married in two and a half months. You're not turning my offer down to be one of my best men are you? I need your support since some of my Yale friends will undoubtedly be very drunk and will not be able to stand up the day of the wedding."

"No, I just called to tell you that I am returning to the States, I was just offered a job at Hayden and Sons, and I am taking it."

"That's great news. Is Kara coming with you?" Seth asked. Kara was Eric's girlfriend who he and his fiancée Stephanie Glazer didn't care for.

"No, we broke up about three weeks ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Seth said.

"No you're not.," he chuckled, " I know that you didn't care for her and of course, little brother, you were right. We had nothing in common and we weren't right for each other. But that's not the only reason I am calling. I was wondering if you are familiar with the company Hayden and Sons. That's the company I am going to work for."

"Yes very familiar. Hayden and Sons is one of the largest International companies here on the east coast. The grandson took it over in 2007 and has been able to grow that company so that it has been on the top ten of the Forbes List for the last 6 years. It's a good company to work for, Eric."

"That's great to know. I met the president of the company back in September and had been talking to him for the last two months. They also own a publishing company and he wants me to join him and his oldest daughter in running the business. His daughter is a graduate from Yale who happened to be the editor of the Daily News while she was a senior. He told me that she joined Obama's press corps after graduation and now she is working as a freelance reporter. Do you or Steph know a Rory Hayden that might have graduated around 2007 or 2008?"

"Rory Haden? No, the only Rory that Steph and I know is a Rory Gilmore. She dated Logan Huntzberger but broke up with him a while ago. She was the editor of the Yale Daily News the year after I graduated from Yale. You will get to meet her because she is going to be in the wedding party."

"I will be looking forward to that. I'll be back by the first of December. I will call you when I get in."

"That's great news. I will tell Steph, and maybe we can have you over for dinner. Are you letting mother know that you're returning?"

"I'm not sure, I will have to wait and see. Just don't say anything to our parents."

"I won't. And Eric? I'm glad you are coming back. I've missed you."

"Thanks little brother," Eric said and hung up.

Rory began to get dressed. She put on her black lace strapless bra from Victoria's Secret, and the black diamond cut no show seamless panties. Stepping into her dress, Rory looked at her reflection. Gigi knocked at her door, and she opened it.

"Great timing Gig, could you zip me up?"

Gigi was excited to help Rory. She would watch her mother get ready for her dates, when she visited her mother, every summer, and would help her with her hair and makeup.

Gigi knelt on the vanity bench and zipped up her sister's dress. She climbed off the bench, and then Rory sat down applying her makeup and adding a touch of eyeshadow and mascara while Gigi watched. Rory brushed out her hair and handed Gigi the curling iron. After Gigi put all the curls in her hair, Rory tipped her head upside down then finger combed her hair. Flipping her head back she began to arrange her hair, so it fell softly on her shoulders. Gigi picked up the can of hairspray and lightly sprayed Rory's hair. Gigi handed her sister the rose gold earrings and cuff to put on. Rory stood in front of her full-length mirror looking at her reflection.

"What do you think?" she asked her sister.

"You look beautiful Rory," Gigi told her.

"Thank you Gig, you were a big help." Rory then hugged her sister and kissed her on the top of her head.

Rory went and took out her black clutch from the closet, and began to transfer her wallet, phone and other items in it. She heard the doorbell ring, and Gigi ran out of her sister's room to answer the door.

Gigi got to the door at the same time as her father, she opened the door first.

"Hi, you must be my sister's doctor friend," she said to him holding her hand out to shake it.

"I am, my name is Tristan and it's very nice to meet you." Tristan held out his hand and smiled at her.

Gigi took his hand and said, "I'm Gigi." " Rory," she yelled, "your date is here."

Tristan started laughing as he shook hands with Christopher and then followed them into the front room..

"Dr. Dugray it is good to see you again, come in can I offer you a drink?"

Rory heard her sister call her and she slipped on her shoes then stood in front of her mirror one last time checking her reflection. She took a deep breath and grabbing her bag and coat she walked out of her room.

"I hope I haven't kept you waiting long," Rory said as she walked into the room.

Tristan was sitting on the couch talking to her father and stood up when he saw her. His heart stopped, and he smiled when he saw how beautiful she looked.

"Mare…. you look beautiful. Are you ready?" He held out his elbow ready to escort her out of the house. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her.

Gigi looked at her sister, then at her father with a frown. "Dr. Dugray,, don't you know my sister's name? It's not Mare."

Tristan chuckled, and Rory smiled, "I do, but I gave her that nickname when we knew each other in high school."

"But Rory I thought you said Dean was your boyfriend?" Tristan looked at Rory and raised his eyebrows at her.

"He was, a long time ago when we were in high school, but Tristan and I went to Chilton and Dean went to school in Stars Hollow."

"Oh, did you like my sister in high school?"

"I did, "Tristan responded and reached over and took hold of Rory's hand.

Chris stood there laughing at his youngest daughter. "Enough questions, Gigi. Rory and Tristan have to leave. You look great Rory," he said smiling proudly at his beautiful daughter. She looked a lot like her mother standing there with her blue eyes twinkling as she looked at Tristan.

Rory hugged her sister than her dad. Christopher held her a little longer and whispered,

"Ror, remember what I said."

"I will," she said and let Tristan help her with her coat.

"Ready?" Tristan asked her.

She smiled, and she put her arm in his as they walked out of the house. He opened the passenger door of his MKZ Lincoln that he was driving tonight. He shut her door after she got in and then walked around to the driver's side.

"You do look beautiful tonight."

"Thank you," she said blushing.

He leaned across the center console and put his finger under her chin. Tristan reached over and kissed her. She kissed him back and then he pulled back.

"I could stay here and kiss you all night, but I think we better go and have dinner. Maybe we can continue this later?"

"Maybe, if you play your cards right," she teased.

He put the car in reverse and backed out of the long driveway. Ten minutes later they pulled up to the front of the Polytechnic Country Club. The Dugray's were members to this club along with the Hartford Golf Club one of the oldest establishments in the city.

The Valet opened the door, and she slid out. Tristan handed his keys to the valet and came around and helped her out of the car. He placed his hand at the small of her back and guided her into the restaurant. They were fifteen minutes early, so they went into the bar area. It was Happy Hour, and the bar was already crowded, and they were lucky that he had a standing reservation for Friday nights. The waitress guided them through the crowded bar towards a high-top table for four. As they followed the waitress to their table, Rory waited as Tristan stopped to say hello to many of the members who knew him.

"What would you like to drink tonight?" Tristan asked her once they got to the high-top table at the bar.

"A Vodka Martini, no olives," she answered.

"You are full of surprises, Mare, I figured you were a fruity drink type of girl." Rory giggled.

"I guess I am not who you think I am," she responded and thought about how Dean said the same thing yesterday. Had she changed that much?

A waitress came over and took their order placing a platter of cheese and crackers on their table.

"Your little sister had a lot of questions tonight Mare," he said raising his eyebrow at her.

"Well she is very inquisitive," Rory told him picking up a cracker and taking a bite.

The waitress returned to their table with their drinks.

"Thank you," Rory said as she placed the drink in front of her.

Tristan nodded and said, "Please run a tab for Doctor Dugray. Also please have the drinks ready for Gwendolyn and Jackson Dugray. They will have their usual."

"Of course," the pretty red-haired waitress said winking at Tristan.

Rory watched her walk away from their table with a sexy swing to her hips and flipping her red hair over her shoulders.

"Is she a friend of yours? You still have it, Tris," she said laughing.

"Have what?"

"Attracting the ladies. It's like moths attracted to the light."

"What if I told you, that in our case, I am the moth and you are the only light I am attracted to,' he told her leaning close to her ready to give her a kiss on her pink lips.

"Smooth..." Rory said bringing her drink to her lips and taking a sip.

..

"Your little sister? Why the fifty questions?" he asked disappointed that he wasn't able to kiss her.

"I'm not sure, I guess this is all new to her having me around and staying there with them. For the last few years my grandmother and my mother have been the only women that she has spent much time with."

"What about her mother?"

"Sherry? She bailed when Gigi was an infant. She is in and out of her life when it is convenient for her. My dad has been raising her with some help from my mom but mostly my grandmother."

Rory sipped her drink again when Tristan reached over and clasped her hand in his. They were holding hands when a handsome couple came over to their table. She recognized Tristan's father right away, and she quickly let go of his hand. Tristan saw his dad and stood up. Walking towards them he embraced his mother who was a beautiful woman with auburn colored hair.

"Son, did you order our drinks?"

"I did, the waitress will be bringing them shortly. Dad, Mom I would like you to meet Rory Gilmore Ha…"

"You can call me Rory," Rory interrupted Tristan before he said her father's last name.

"Gilmore, are you Emily Gilmore's granddaughter?" his mother asked sitting in the seat across from Rory that Tristan had vacated.

"Yes I am," Rory said.

"Janlan used to talk about Richard and Emily often. How is your grandmother I haven't seen her around in a while."

The waitress appeared bringing them their drinks, and the bartender called last call for happy hour. Tristan ordered a second round for everyone and sat in the chair beside Rory placing his arm around her shoulder. His mother saw this and smiled.

"My grandmother Emily moved to Nantucket a year after my grandfather passed away. But she called and is planning on returning home this year for Thanksgiving."

His dad looked at Rory and said, "You look familiar, did you go to Chilton?"

"Yes I graduated from Chilton in 2003," she tells him.

"Where did you go after Chilton?" Tristan's father continues to ask her.

"I went to Yale," she responded looking over at Tristan and wondering why she was getting the inquisition from his father.

A man Rory recognized came over to their table and stopped.

"Jackson, Gwen it is good to see you both again."

"Hello, Hamlin it is good to see you. Hamlin, you remember my son, Tristan and his friend Rory Gilmore."

Headmaster Charleston looked at the two young adults and smiled, "Hello Dr. Dugray, and Miss Gilmore, I never imagined that I would see you two together."

"Hello Headmaster, it's good to see you again," Rory said. Tristan just nodded not saying anything. He still felt like a kid whenever he saw him.

"Did you decide what you wanted to do, Miss Gilmore?"

"At the moment I'm writing, but I am thinking about your suggestion," she said with a smile.

"Let me know if I can help." He smiled at her and wished for the best for her.

"Thanks, headmaster, I will," she said and took a drink from her glass. Tristan gently stroked her long soft curls as he rested his arm around her shoulder.

"Jackson, will you be coming to the next Kiwanis meeting?" he asked him.

"I have it on my calendar Charleston." Jackson nodded.

"Don't forget it is the Kiwanis turn to host the New Year's Eve Ball this year. Bitsie will be calling you, Gwen."

"Okay thanks, I will look forward to her call," Gwen responded.

Charleston shook hands with the men and then said his goodbyes. He walked towards his table where his wife and two other couples were sitting. After he left Gwen turned to Rory and said, "I think I will make a spa appointment that weekend."

Rory giggled and said, "You don't like working on those committees?"

"No, your grandmother was smart when she told all the DAR ladies off and quit the committee."

Rory almost choked on her drink. She hadn't heard about that.

"What?" she asked in surprise.

"Oh dear, you didn't know? It was not long after your grandfather had died. I was there sitting on the committee since I am a member of the DAR "

Gwen looked at Rory and said, " Wait, aren't you a member of the DAR? That's why you look familiar. You used to date Logan Huntzberger."

"Umm Mrs. Dugray, that was a long time ago, and Logan and I are not in contact anymore," Rory said blushing.

Tristan removed his arm from her shoulder and took Rory's hand in his. He looked at his mother, and said quietly, "Mom can we change the subject?"

"Oh I am sorry, Rory, excuse me. I didn't mean to pry." She tried to apologize, but Tristan just glared at her.

"No that's okay, that was a long time ago," Rory said very quietly.

"Dad I think it is time to get our table," Tristan told his father and Jackson immediately stood up helping Gwen from her seat.

Tristan helped Rory get out of her chair and putting his hand on the small of her back they walked into the dining room. They were led to a table by the window which looked out over the ninth hole. It was facing the west and the sun was beginning to set. The grounds were lit with miniature fairy lights that gave it a magical appearance. She looked out the window, and she thought she saw a few flakes of snow falling. Tristan pulled out her chair, and the waiter gave her the menu then placed her napkin on her lap. Tristan sat down beside her and reached over and squeezed her hand. The cocktail waitress brought their other cocktails to the table for them since they had not finished their first.

Jackson looked at Tristan and Rory and said, "I hope you don't mind, I called ahead and ordered the Chef's Tasting Menu. It includes a wine pairing and samples of their different foods. I ordered two of those, and there is usually more than enough food."

"No that is fine," Rory said. She sat there quietly not knowing what to say.

"Tristan, I saw your name on the list of one of the fundraisers for the Winter Carnival." her mother said to him.

"Yes, I am participating. How did you see that list?"

"I am on the Fundraiser committee," she told him.

"I wasn't aware that you were working on the committee again this year."

"Your mother has been working very hard on the committee, son. Spending many long hours there," Jackson told him. Tristan gave them each a grim smile..

Rory bit her bottom lip and looked at Tristan wondering why the conversation just became so awkward. Thinking of a different subject, Tristan decided to ask them about their holiday plans.

"Dad, Mom, are you going to Turk's and Caicos this year for the holidays?"

"No dear, we will be here for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Rory, you mentioned that your grandmother is in Nantucket, do you still have family here?" Gwen asked her.

"Yes, my father lives here in Hartford, and my mother lives in Stars Hollow, " she replied and straightened the napkin in her lap. There was a lull in the conversation, so Rory turned to Gwen and asked, "Do you work on a lot of committees?"

"I am on a few, but Jack and I spend most of our time helping with the Dugray Foundation."

The waitress came with the platter of appetizers. They had the choice of smoked octopus, caviar, escargot, and a cheese dish. Rory had been in many fancy restaurants before in Hamburg, London and the west coast among other places but she never was exposed to such a variety of exotic food like what was place on their table.

The three Dugrays began to dig in. Rory politely ate the cheese dish which was ricotta cheese, mushrooms and something infused in the liquid. She passed on the escargot and had a little bit of the foie gras to be polite. Tristan looked at her and whispered, "Not to your liking Miss Gilmore?"

"I'm not hungry," she said to him and sipped on her drink. He reached under the table and squeezed her leg. She looked up at him and gave him a funny look.

"It's okay if you don't care for the food. We can always go somewhere else later."

Slowly the conversation around the table became more relaxed. Gwen began to ask Rory questions about the work she had done and places she had traveled. Both of his parents were very interested when she told them that she worked on the Obama Campaign trail. Gwen was a Hillary supporter and very upset over the recent election. When she realized Rory shared her interest, they began to talk more.

The entrees appeared, and the waitress came out with a rack of Lamb, Atlantic cod with mussels, poached Lobster, stuffed saddle of Rabbit and Black Bass. Rory had some of the Lamb and Lobster, but she passed on the fish and Rabbit. The dinner was paired with a dry Cabernet wine and a nice buttery Chardonnay that came from the Connecticut Valley Winery.

"This wine is delicious," Jackson said to them. "You know Gwen, I have heard some wonderful things about this winery. We should go for a drive tomorrow and visit the local wineries."

"That would be fun, maybe you kids would like to join us," Gwen said to Rory and Tristan."

"That might be fun. I have been thinking of writing an article about the wine/farm to table fad in Connecticut. I plan on featuring some of the local chefs, wineries, and restaurants in a blog that I am working on," Rory told them.

"Now that sounds interesting, Rory you are a free-lance writer. Do you write for any particular paper or do you send them to different publishing companies? You know, if you need a recommendation, my family has been friends with the Huntzbergers for years. I would be happy to contact Mitchum, and I'm sure he would be happy to read your article or blog," Jackson said to her.

"No, no, thank you. It is not necessary. I work with a group in Philadelphia. They started an e-magazine, and I am going to be their digital reporter. Plus my dad's company owns a publishing house, he has been trying to encourage me to join him."

"Really, Gilmore? I didn't know they owned a publishing company," Jackson responded.

"No Gilmore is my mother's maiden name; my father is Christopher Hayden."

"Chris Hayden? I haven't heard that name in years. Are you his daughter? Please tell your father that Jack Dugray said hello," Jack said enthusiastically.

"I will," she said and looked at Tristan.

As the desserts were brought to the table, Rory looked up and saw Mitchum and Shira Huntzberger standing talking to the hostess at the front of the dining room.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dugray, I want to thank you both for dinner, but I am very tired. I don't know if Tristan told you, but I have been at the hospital for the last few days with my grandmother. I guess the stress and these drinks are finally catching up to me."

Tris looked at her in surprise, "Mare are you okay?"

"Yes, I think I really should go home." She stood up and turned to Tristan and said, "I am going to stop at the ladies room before I leave." She gathered her purse and turned to them again.

"Thank you again for dinner, and I look forward to seeing you both again. I had a wonderful time."

Jackson and Gwen stood up and embraced her. Tris then protectively placed his hand on her back and led her towards the bar where the restrooms were, away from the front of the dining room. As they left, the Huntzbergers were being led to their table. Shira noticed Gwen sitting back in her seat, and she told Mitchum, "Oh there is Gwen Dugray, I must go and say hello to her."

"Okay, I will go over with you, Logan should be here soon." They walked over towards the Dugrays and stopped at their table.

Tristan looked at Rory with concern on his face. "Mare, are you okay?"

"Yes, I will be right out," she told him as she walked towards the bathroom. As he went to escort her to the restroom area, his pager went off.

Looking down at his pager he said, "Ror, I have to take this. I will meet you here at the bar."

She nodded and entered the ladies room. Walking out of one of the stalls was an attractive woman with short brown hair, dressed in an expensive black sheath.

"Bonjour," the woman said to Rory smiling.

Rory smiled and said," Bonjour" then entered a vacant stall. Rory recognized her from her photo with Logan. This was his fiancée, Odette. She heard the water run and then heard the dryer go on. Rory flushed the toilet and arranged her dress. She took a deep breath and said, "Rory, you can do this," walking out of the stall toward the sink.

Rory walked out into the large area where the sinks were and washed and dryed her hands quickly. Relieved that she was alone, she took her time and refreshed her lipstick and fixed her hair. Rory arranged her hair and pushed one of the loose curls around her face behind her ear. Leaving the ladies' room she began to exit the hallway towards the bar. She froze at the entrance of the hallway when she saw Logan standing with Odette at the bar talking to Tristan. Tristan hadn't noticed her yet, so she returned to the bathroom and leaned against the wall.

Logan was standing at the bar talking to Tristan when Odette came out of the bathroom.

"Logan, your parents, they are waiting for us, no?" Odette asked him.

"Odette, here I ordered you some wine, I am talking. I will be there in a minute, Logan said to her rather rudely.

Odette stood there sipping the glass of red wine he ordered for her while Logan spoke to the handsome man. Odette hated being here. She arrived with Logan an hour ago having spent most of the day on his private plane while she slept, and he was busy working on his laptop. When the plane landed in Hartford, a car was waiting for them. Immediately, Logan turned on his phone and called his three friends completely ignoring her. When they arrived at the On Twenty restaurant at the Polytechnic Club he headed straight to the bar. She decided that she would go and use the ladies room and freshen up before his crazy friends arrive.

The whole flight over Odette thought about how she agreed to be in this relationship with him. They had very little in common, and it was apparent to her he didn't want to be with her. When her mother called and told her that she was to leave Paris and go to London to meet Logan she was angry. She had no desire to fly to Connecticut to spend time with Shira Huntzberger. She did not like Shira Huntzberger or the United States, and when she complained to her parents, they reminded her that she signed the contract for this marriage. If she broke the agreement or the prenup, they would lose 10 million dollars at which point she would be disinherited, and they would have her sent away where she would no longer have their name or money to protect her.

Odette looked at the man standing in front of her. When she first met Logan, he was kind and respectful, he was an excellent escort to events, but she really wasn't interested in being his wife. She met Logan, in Paris on his return flight from a conference in Hamburg. He was charming, handsome and fun to be around. A good cover for her so that her true love would not be identified. Since she and her lover could not be seen in public, Odette began to ask Logan to attend specific family social engagements with her, and soon he would ask her to do the same. Eventually, they would fly back and forth from Paris and London to attend these events. A photographer at HPG made sure that they published the images of them. Things changed in January of this year when pictures of Odette and her lover were made public at the Venice Fashion Show. The publicity of the photos could have a negative impact on her family's business. Being the shark that Mitchum was, he decided that this was his chance to marry off Logan and get rid of the Gilmore girl forever. So he contacted Odette's father and began to talk about an arranged marriage between their children. By March a contract between Mitchum and her father, Claude, was written proposing the marriage between Logan and Odette.

In early April, Odette was sitting in her apartment in Paris, when a messenger arrived with a package from London. She opened it up and inside was a ring box from Verraigo, a designer of diamond rings. Inside was a beautiful engagement ring, in the center was a 2.5 carat squared shaped halo diamond in a split diamond platinum band. Inside, the package there was an envelope that had a contract with the marriage proposal stating she was to fly to London with her parents to begin discussion of this marriage. At first, Logan and Odette pretended it wasn't real and she didn't' wear the ring, but by the end of May, she received a phone call from Mitchum ordering her to come to London and move in with her fiancé. Logan became angry, but they started to sleep together, neither of them making any commitments to each other. Logan received a phone call in early June. After that call he was never around. He took off and soon she realized that he was busy making plans to be with his friends. Logan took off, and when he returned in September, she noticed he had changed. He was drinking more, and when their engagement was announced to the media in late October, he became more distant, quiet and refused to share her bed.

Rory took a moment to compose herself. She then dialed his number. When his phone rang, he looked at the caller ID.

"It was nice meeting you ,but I have to take this call, it's from the hospital," Tristan said and walked away.

Logan watched Tristan walk away toward the bathrooms to talk on the phone. When Tristan left the bar to answer his call, Robert and Colin entered the area and saw Logan and Odette standing at the bar. They walked over to him.

"Logan, ready?" Colin asked him.

"Yes, where's Finn."

"He is parking the car, you know how he is with his new vehicles. He doesn't trust the valet. He said he will meet us inside," Robert told him.

Colin and Robert both turned and looked at Odette and nodded their head and they walked into the dining area with Logan and Odette following behind.

Tristan quickly answered the phone. "Hey, are you alright?" he asked her with concern in his voice.

"How do you know Logan Huntzberger?"

"I don't. Why?"

"I saw you talking to him."

"Babe, I was standing at the bar settling my tab when he heard Jonah say, Doc are you leaving now? Logan looked at me and introduced himself. He asked me where I worked.."

"What did you say?"

"I didn't, you called, so I excused myself telling him it was a call from the hospital."

"Are they still there?" she asked him concerned.

Tristan looked out the hallway and noticed that Odette and Logan were leaving the bar with two men..

"No, he just left the bar, towards the dining room now. Come on, I will meet you in the hallway by the ladies room. There is another exit we can take that is on the other side of the bar, and it is closer to the coat room."

"Okay," she said hesitantly.

"Babe, I got this," he told her."

She shut off her phone and walked out of the bathroom. As she exited the bathroom, she saw Tristan leaning against the wall like he did when they were in high school.

Rory smiled shyly at him, "This is a flashback."

He walked towards her and put his hand against the wall on either side of her trapping her there. He then leaned into her, kissing her deeply. She reached around his neck and running her fingers through his blonde hair she kissed him back.

"Oh, excuse me mate, don't want to interrupt your posh."

Rory looked up in shock recognizing Finn's voice and seeing him standing there.

"Finn?"

"Kitten? Where have you been, I have looked all over for you. I wasn't happy the way Logan ended things. Wait…Who's this bloke?" Finn said rather irritated.

"Finn keep your voice down, please. This is Tristan, my date."

"Is this why you haven't returned my calls? I have been worried sick and going crazy wondering where you have been. Both Robert and I haven't been able to reach you, it's like you disappeared. You know that you promised to check in with us after you left the inn in New Hampshire. Logan is such an idiot to agree to Mitchum's arrangement and treat you like that. Rory you don't deserve him," Finn rambled coming closer to them and finally pulling Rory in for a hug.

"Ror who is this? What Inn is he talking about? Is he here with Logan?" Tristan asked her becoming very concerned.

"Tris, this is Finn Morgan, a close friend of mine and Logan's. Finn this is Dr. Dugray, my date." Both men glared and sized each other up. Rory turned to Finn and touching his arm she said, "Finn I promise I will explain everything later, not now. Please don't tell Logan you saw me."

Tristan didn't like that she touched Finn's arm nor that he hugged her when he saw her. In fact, he didn't like the idea that they were close friends. He immediately put his arm around her waist to show Finn that she belonged to him now.

Finn looked over at Tristan. "Kitten, I won't tell Logan I saw you, but you need to explain to me what happened."

"Mare, let's go, " Tristan said to her and began to pull her down the hallway away from the restaurant.

"Where are you two going?" Finn asked afraid that if Rory left he wouldn't find her again.

"To my car and I am taking the lady home."

Tristan and Finn glared at each other. She knew Tristan well enough that when provoked he would fight and so would Finn. A fight would cause attention to her, and she didn't want that.

"Stop it right now, you two. Tristan, Finn let's go someplace where we can talk. Finn, I will explain things to you now if you promise to stop acting like two male dogs marking your territory."

"Come on. This way," taking Rory by the hand Tristan led her around the other side of the bar. He led them through a doorway towards the pro shop that had an outside door that would lead them to the greens. Finn followed close behind them.

The Pro shop was empty when they entered so Tristan led them over to a quiet corner in the back of the shop away from the window and door. The Golf Pro saw Tristan and came over, "Doc, how are you? Are you looking for anything in particular?"

"No, I thought I would show my girlfriend and her friend our Pro shop. We will let you know if we could use some help," Tristan told the Pro.

Smiling Tristan put his hand on Rory's elbow leading her over to a clothes rack where they began to look through the clothing.

"Finn, I have a new phone number. I will give you my number, but you must promise me that you will not share it with anyone," Rory told him.

Finn handed her his phone, and she quickly typed in her number. He looked at it and then pressed the number. Her phone rang, and she answered it.

Talking into his phone, he said, "Okay, Ror, I have been worried sick when you didn't call back. I knew you said your mother was getting married, but I thought you would call me after that. What happened? Robert and I came to Stars Hollow looking for you when you never called me. I thought we were best friends."

Rory ended the call and smiled at him, "Finn I'm sorry, things got complicated after the wedding. Remember you and I talked after Logan went to sleep. You were right Finn. I asked him his plan, when he woke up the next morning, just like you suggested. " She looked at Tristan, and he moved closer to her putting his hand around her waist.

"Finn, he told me that it was the Dynastic Plan and he was going to marry Odette. So I returned the key, to him. I had no choice. I realized then that he didn't really love me, and I didn't' love him. You were right, I needed to tell him goodbye and end this once and for all.."

Tristan listened to the conversation and looked at Finn. There was something there between the two of them, and he needed to know what their relationship was. Tristan looked at Finn who was looking at Rory fondly nodding his head. He finally had to know what was going on between them.

"What is your relationship with Mare?" Tristan asked Finn suddenly.

"Mare?" Finn looked at him confused.

"Finn, Tristan calls me Mare. It is a name he gave me when we were in high school together."

"Rory is this your old boyfriend from high school? I was drunk that night I first met him, but I thought he was taller," Finn asked her thinking about the time he met Dean.

"Finn no that was Dean…. Tris and I…. well it's a long story," Rory turned to Tristan and said, "Tris, Finn and I are friends. Remember I told you I had to say goodbye to all my friends?"

He nodded then he looked at Finn and asked, "If she told you goodbye, why are you here and why did you go to the hospital looking for her a few weeks ago."

Finn looked at him surprised.

"How did you know that?" he asked him.

"You came to the hospital looking for me?" she looked at both men in surprised.

"Yes," Finn responded, "I went to Stars Hollow with Robert when I couldn't get in touch with you a few days after your mother's wedding. We walked into the diner, and we heard that you were taken to the hospital. We immediately called Colin who called Logan, and he had us go to all the hospitals in the area looking for you."

"Why would Logan do that if he is marrying someone else? Are you telling me he still has feelings for Mare?"

"Logan is obsessed with Rory. Robert and I both have told him to forget about her," Finn told Tristan.

Looking at Rory, he said, "Rory, Logan has some crazy idea about you and a project he is working on. Robert and I came to talk him out of it. I didn't know he was bringing the she-devil with him tonight."

"Mare, let's get out of here," Tristan said to Rory. He then looked at Finn and said, "Look I understand that you care for Rory, but she's with me now."

Finn wrapped an arm around Rory's shoulders pulling her close to his side gently rubbing her arm. "Love, all Robert and I want, is for you to be happy." Finn then looked Tristan up and down with a scowl on his face.

"Can he make you happy Love? If not I will come and take you away," Finn told her and gently kissed her temple. Tristan was seeing red. How dare he kiss his Mare.

Rory looked at Tristan and said, "Yes, Finn, he makes me very happy. I have known him since we went to school together at Chilton. I know Tristan respects and cares for me."

"Okay. You will call me if he hurts you, promise?"

"Yes Finny, I will call you," she said and kissed him on the cheek.

"Mate, I'm warning you don't hurt her, she means the world to me. If you do, I promise I will hurt you." Finn then put his hand out to shake Tristan's hand.

Tristan looked at Finn's hand and then in Rory's eyes. He saw that she wanted him to shake his hand, so he put his hand out and shook it.

"I won't hurt her, I promise," Tristan said.

Rory smiled at Finn and then at Tristan. Finn and Rory hugged one more time and then she walked over to Tristan, taking his hand they walked through the back door and out of the building.

Tristan led her around the patio to the front of the restaurant where the valet was. Tristan handed the ticket to the Valet and then returned inside the coatroom to get their coats. Rory stood outside with her arms wrapped around herself standing next to the portable heater waiting for Tristan and the valet to bring their car. Finn was standing by the coatroom when Tristan walked in.

"Listen, Mate, the way you were kissing her, it seems that you two know each other. It wasn't a pickup kiss, I can tell you two have a history."

"Yes, we do."

"You have strong feelings for her, I can tell."

"I do!" Tristan said to him.

"Then do what I couldn't, make her happy and keep her away from Logan. He is like a bad habit that is hard for her to break. He has this crazy idea to buy her father's publishing company and then strong arm her to work for him once he owns it. When it comes to Rory, he has trouble giving her up."

"So what are you saying?" Tristan asked scowling at him.

"Love her, make her happy and help her forget about him."

"I can do that. Finn, I had to let her go once, and I thought I never would see her again. But fate has brought us back together, and I don't plan on ever letting her leave me."

Finn smiled at Tristan, "Rory has my number, let's get together and meet sometime and talk."

Tristan nodded. "I am a doctor at Hartford General, just go there and ask for Doc."

Tristan walked into the coat room quickly finding their coats he left. Walking toward her he helped her put it on, then leaned in for a kiss. He lifted his head from the kiss and whispered, "Babe, I'm here, and I'm not losing you again."

He pushed a strand of hair from her face, and she gazed at his kind face as his fingers brushed against her cheek. She leaned into him and kissed him deeply. The valet pulled up with their car and opened it and held the door as Tristan helped her into the car. He walked around to his side and gave him a tip and then he pulled away from the country club.


	18. Chapter 17 Dinner

**Taking Back Control Chapter 17**

 **Chapter 17**

Logan was standing at the bar talking to Tristan, when Odette came out of the bathroom.

"Logan, your parents, they are waiting for us, no?"

"Odette, here I ordered you some wine, I am talking I will be there in a minute."

Odette stood there sipping the glass of red wine he ordered for her while Logan spoke to the handsome man. She noticed that the man took out his phone and looked at it.

"Excuse me, it's the hospital. I have to take this call."

Logan watched Tristan walk away toward the bathrooms to talk on the phone.

Odette hated being here. She arrived with Logan an hour ago having spent most of the day on the private plane sleeping while he spent his time working. Logan barely spoke to her and when the plane landed in Hartford, a car was waiting for them. Immediately, Logan turned on his phone, ignoring her, he called his three friends and his father, making arrangements to meet them at the club.

Just as Tristan left to take his call Robert and Colin entered the Bar.

"Logan, ready?" they asked him.

"Yes, where's Finn."

"He is parking the car, you know how he is with his new vehicle. He doesn't trust the valet and said he will meet us inside," Robert told him.

Colin and Robert both turned and looked at Odette. They nodded their head in acknowledgment to her then walked into the dining area with Logan and Odette following behind.

Odette and Logan arrived at the OnTwenty restaurant at the Polytechnic Club ten minutes before his crazy friends came. The whole flight over Odette wondered how she found herself in this mess. When her mother called and told her that she was to leave Paris and go to London to meet Logan she was angry. She had no desire to fly to Connecticut to spend time with Shira Huntzberger. She did not like the United States but when she complained to her parents they reminded her that she signed the contract for this marriage. If she broke the agreement or the prenup, they would lose 10 million dollars at which point she would be disinherited, and they would have her sent away where she would no longer have their name or money to protect her.

Odette looked at the man walking beside her. She liked Logan, he usually was kind and respectful, but she really wasn't interested in being his wife. She only agreed to this because her parents forced her in order to keep her secret.

Odette first met Logan, in Paris, on his return flight from a conference in Hamburg. He was charming, handsome and fun to be around. A good cover for her so that her true love would not be identified. Since she and her lover could not be seen in public, Odette began to ask Logan to attend specific family social engagements with her and soon he would ask her to do the same. Eventually they would fly back and forth from Paris and London to attend these events. A photographer from HPG was made available to photograph them and distribute these images of them. However, things changed in January of this year when pictures of Odette and her lover were made public when they were in Venice at the Fashion Show. The publicity of these shots could have a negative impact on her family's business. Being the shark that Mitchum was, he decided that this was his chance to marry off Logan and get rid of the Gilmore girl forever. Immediately Mitchum contacted Odette's father where they began to negotiate a contract which would involve an arranged marriage between their children. By March a deal between Mitchum and her father, Claude, was written proposing the marriage between Logan and Odette. In late April, a messenger arrived with a package for Odette from London . Odette was alone sitting in her apartment in Paris after spending a delightful morning with her lover. She opened it up and inside was a ring box from Verraigo, a designer of diamond rings. Opening it she was stunned when Odette saw a beautiful engagement ring, in the center of the split diamond platinum band was a 2.5 carat squared shaped halo diamond. She opened up the envelope that came with the ring and it held a contract with the marriage proposal . Calling her parents right away she was ordered to fly to London with her them to begin discussion of this marriage contract.

At first Logan and Odette pretended it wasn't real and she didn't wear the ring, but at the end of May, she received a phone call from Mitchum ordering her to come to London and move in with her fiancé. Logan became angry but once Rory said goodbye, Logan started to sleep with Odette. In early June, Logan received a phone call in the middle of the night and things began to change between them. Suddenly Logan became very busy that summer traveling with his friends and leaving for work early in the morning and not returning until very late at night smelling of liquor. Logan took off again and when he returned in September she noticed he was distracted, and angry. He was drinking more and when their engagement was announced to the media in late October he became more distant and refused to share her bed, instead he slept in the guest room.

Odette sat down at the table that the hostess brought them too. Logan didn't sit with her instead he left Odette by herself at the table. He saw Colin and Robert stop at another table where a handsome older gentleman was having dinner with a younger woman. Logan recognized him as Colin's father, Andrew McCrea, and went over to say hello and shake his hand. Logan turned and noticed that his father and mother were at another table. Logan went over to where his parents were standing and overheard his mother talking to them.

"Gwen, I am so glad to see you. I wanted to know if you will be able to attend our Thanksgiving party we are having this year. Did you get our invitation?"

Gwen looked at her husband and waited for him to say something. Mitchum turned when his son approached and smiled. He put his arm around his son and said, "Jack good to see you. I don't believe you've met my son, Logan?"

"I don't believe we met, nice to meet you Logan."

"Logan this is Jack Dugray and his wife Gwen, they have been family friends since we have been children," Mitchum explained.

"Nice to meet you Logan," Jack said shaking Logan's hand.

"Yes, it is nice to meet you two," Logan responded shaking his hand and smiling at Gwen Dugray.

"Are you two dining alone tonight?" Mitchum asked noticing two empty plates at their table.

"No you just missed our son and his girlfriend. They had to leave. Duty calls." Gwen said trying to make light of the situation.

"What does your son do? Is he in the service?" Logan asked him.

"He was, but now he is a surgeon. He received a phone call and they left," Jackson explained.

"Oh, I was just speaking to a doctor at the bar," Logan said.

"That must have been Tristan, they left about five minutes ago," Gwen said smiling and wondered what Rory ever saw in this young man.

"Oh I'm sorry we missed them. If I remember correctly they are around Logan's age. Please bring them to our party when you come," Shira said.

"I'll RSVP, I promise," Gwen said. Gwen noticed their friends the Bowman's on the other side of the dining room, so she waved to them. Shira noticed Marjorie heading towards their table, and since she didn't get along with her she quickly said to Gwen, "Well I do hope you can make it because we are celebrating Logan's engagement. See you then." Shira turned and walked away.

Embarrassed at what his mother just revealed, Logan smiled and said, "It was nice to meet both of you."

"Congratulations," Jack told Logan.

"Yea, thanks," and he turned and joined Robert and Colin who were heading back to the bar.

Shira went ahead to the table and sat down, however Mitchum stopped at the table where Colin was earlier.

"Mitcham, I didn't expect to see you until next week, "Andrew said as he stood up and shook his hand.

"Well Shira has this party to introduce Odette and announce Logan's engagement, you both are coming, aren't you?"

"Yes, we plan too. Are you still going to try to continue to meet with the Haydens?" he asked him.

"Yes, since Logan is here, I will have him stay and work on that. I'm going back to London on Monday."

"Mitch, this isn't going to work, Mrs. Hayden is in the process of changing her will, " Andrew whispered to Mitchum as they walked back to his table.

"I'm not worried, I will have Logan close the deal and we will take over the company. Now about the prenup, please have Colin get my son to sign that contract. "

"Mitchum, I'll try but according to Colin, Logan isn't interested in an arranged marriage."

"He will be if he wants to continue the life he is accustomed too. Soon, he will be head of HPG with a beautiful wife by his side. Once he is married he can have his flings and do what he wants."

Mitcham patted Andrew on the arm, grinning and turned to walk over to his table where Odette and Shira were sitting drinking and waiting for the men to join them.

The young woman who was Andrew's dinner companion reached over the table and squeezing his hand asked, "Andrew is everything okay?" Andrew took a sip of his scotch and nodded.

"It will be, now let's enjoy our evening together, " he said and smiling at his new secretary he thought about how he planned to enjoy the evening with her.

"Where's Logan, Odette?" Mitcham asked when he arrived at the table. He turned and glanced around the room wondering where his son disappeared to.

"He just left with his friends, I think he went out to the bar," Odette replied with her arms crossed around her chest sitting back in her chair angrily.

Colin, Logan, and Robert returned to the bar to look for Finn and get another drink. They were surprised to see Finn sitting there alone quietly drinking a glass of scotch and not talking to anyone. Logan went up to his close friend and put his arm on his shoulder. Finn who is usually happy and carefree appeared to be angry and sad.

"Finn aren't you coming in for dinner?"

"Not feeling it mate, "Finn replied, "Listen, Mate, I am going to have another drink and then head back to the pool house. Robert are you going to stay or come with me?" Finn asked him.

"Logan, I think I will leave with Finn. I don't want him to drive home alone. Something is bothering him, " Robert said quietly to Logan. Logan didn't want his friends to leave he needed them to help him find Rory.

"Come on Finn, we can go out after dinner and pick up some girls, " Logan said trying to coax him into staying.

"No mate. Sorry, I have too much on my mind.." Finn replied and finished his drink. He signaled for the bartender to give him another one.

"Colin, what about you? Are you going to bail on me too? I really don't want to sit alone with Odette and my parents tonight," Logan said.

"I'll stay, but Logan keep me out of any conversation between your father and his business deals. I no longer work for him." Colin said.

"Sure, sure, my mother and Odette will be talking about wedding plans anyway."

Gwen and Jackson came out to the bar with another couple. Logan smiled at them and nodded his head. The women found a table near the bar not far from where they were sitting. The two men went to the bar and got the drinks for the ladies.

Logan said in a low voice, "Colin have you heard anything from Ace?"

Colin grabbed the drink from the bar that the bartender put down in front of them and leaning against the bar said, "Logan, listen I haven't had a chance. My recent client has me traveling between Boston and here. It is an important client and I am rearranging her estate and her wills. As soon as I am finished I will check into it I promise."

Just then Logan's phone went off, he looked down and saw it was his dad.

"I am being summoned. Colin let's go have dinner with the Dark Lord. Finn, Robert are you sure you don't want a free meal? The food is absolutely delicious here, " Logan asked again.

"No mate, I really don't think I can. I'm waiting for that call I told you about.. Robert are you ready to leave?" Finn asked Robert.

"Right after I finish this drink," Robert replied.

Gwen and Marjorie sat at the table talking waiting for their husbands to return with their drinks. Finn overheard the women's conversation and raised his eyebrow in surprise. .

"Oh I am sorry that we missed Tristan. So tell me about this girl he brought to dinner. Where is she from? I can't believe he finally brought a girl home to meet you both. Gwen this is a big step," Marjorie said to her.

"Yes, it is. Usually Tristan is very private about his friends. But this is definitely different. She is from around here and the two kids went to high school together. You know how private Tristan is, well he was definitely holding her hand and had his arm protectively around her. I think this might be the real thing." Gwen was beaming thinking of Tristan now a successful doctor finally falling in love and maybe settling down.

Finn looked at Robert and nodded his head towards the people sitting behind them. Finn knew it, this must be the guy Rory had dated in high school when they first met. Robert gave him a funny look.

Finn leaned in and whispered, "I just saw reporter girl and she was kissing some guy. The woman behind us is talking about them."

Robert looked at him in surprise. "Why didn't you tell Logan?" he asked him.

"Because, mate she is better off without him. You, of all people know how poorly he and his parents treat her. She deserves happiness and Logan will not be able to give that to her no matter how much money he has and how much he says he loves her. He can't be faithful."

Robert drained his drink and nodded. The two men got off the bar stools and left the restaurant.

Inside the restaurant, Logan and Colin walked toward the table near the back to join Odette, Mitchum, and Shira. The two men whispered to each other as they walked.

"Colin, tomorrow I thought I would take a drive to Stars Hollow while my mother has Odette in Manhattan looking at wedding dresses. I know if I see Ace one more time and get her to admit to me that she loves me than I can call this whole dynastic plan off."

"I don't know Logan, before coming here tonight we drove to the Gilmore House as you suggested. There is no one there. The house is closed up and it's for sale," Colin said.

"That can't be! She's got to be nearby, where else would she go?" Logan responded becoming upset.

"Logan this is Rory. She could be anywhere. She might have gotten a job in Washington or another city either here or in Europe. Let's enjoy dinner, since your father is picking up the tab."

The men got to the table and put smiles on their faces. Logan walked over to his mother and placed a kiss on her cheek, then he sat down between Colin and his father, leaving the chair beside Odette visibly empty.. Logan immediately asked the waiter to bring a bottle of Macallan to the table. He was on his third drink when the food arrived. Logan completely ignored Odette throughout the whole meal spending time talking to his father about the Hayden Company and how they could work with them. Colin sat quietly listening to Logan's plan and not feeling comfortable about it at all. He wondered how he could stop this from happening. He didn't want to see "Mother" hurt anymore by Logan.


	19. Chapter 18 Conversation

**Chapter 18 Conversations**

Tristan drove back towards Hartford. He reached across the center console of the car and took her hand in his.

"Mare we don't have to end our evening now. Let's go back to my place."

"Tris, maybe you should take me home, we could sit together in the sunroom and you can hold me in your arms."

"Is that what you really want, Mare?"

"We said that we will take our relationship slow, and if I am alone with you something might happen. I think this is better."

He looked at the clock and noticed that it was only eight pm.

"Mare, I have an idea, let me call Paris."

"Paris?"

"Yes, isn't she your best friend? I have a feeling she can help you tonight."

Tristan pushed the phone button on his steering wheel before Rory could protest. He spoke into the Bluetooth and said, "Call Paris."

"I don't think we should bother her tonight, she has a date with Jess and…"

Paris looked at the caller ID and answered after three rings, "This better be important Dugray, " she yelled into the phone.

"Paris, good your home? We need your help and we are on our way over."

"We? Who's we? It better not be you and the two knucklehead friends that masquerade as doctors, Dugray. I have plans and I am in the middle of something.."

"Put your clothes back on. Mare and I are coming over."

"Wait, what? Why?" Paris asked in shock.

"It seems that Triston 2.0 is in town and we almost had a close encounter of the worst kind."

"Oh geez, sorry Jess, seems like Rory is on her way over, she almost had a run in with your favorite Yale Dick," Paris mumbled to Jess, "Okay, Fine, put her on the phone so I can talk to her."

.

"Rory, what did that hedonistic man do this time? I told you when you broke up with him that you were better off. But no you had to go back with him."

"Paris, wait. I didn't talk to him, but Tristan did. "she tried to explain.

"Wait they met? Whoa, I'm sorry I missed it. Did Tristan punch him?" Paris asked.

"Paris, is Rory okay?" Jess asked concerned. "Paris, give me the phone…"Jess told her holding his hand out.

"Paris I'll tell you everything when I get there. Now let me talk to Jess." Paris pouted as she handed her the phone.

"Ror, I'm here, are you okay? Did he try to do anything?" Jess asked her..

"Jess, I'm sorry if we are interrupting anything. This was all Tristan's idea," she told him and looked at Tristan. "I told him to take me back to my father's, but he thought Paris could help me.

"It's okay, we want you to come over. I've got you and I think it's time Tristan and I talked. I don't want him to get the wrong idea about us."

"What idea will Tristan get about you and Rory, Jess? Is there something I should be worried about?" Paris yelled in the background.

"Listen I better go and calm my girl down, see you soon," Jess said and smirked at Paris as he handed her back her phone.

"Gilmore what is he talking about? What is going on between you two?" the insecure Paris shouted at Rory.

"Oh geez, Paris calm down. We will be there shortly," Rory said. Tristan then interrupted her and said, "Paris, calm down and if you have something to drink, get it out. I think we will need it."

Tristan ended the call and then put on his signal and taking the exit ramp for downtown Hartford he got off the expressway.. Rory sat there leaning back in her seat looking out the window. Paris lived on Gold Street in a high-rise apartment building only a few blocks away from Tristan's apartment.. He parked his car in the parking lot behind the tall building. He walked around and opened the car door for her, as she stepped out of the vehicle Tristan took her gently in his arms and held her.

"Listen, it will be okay, we will go and talk to Paris and Jess. I didn't want to take you back to your father's house just in case Finn accidentally said something to Logan about seeing you. Logan might go to your father's home to look for you there," Tristan explained to her.

"I never thought of that," she said resting her head on his chest. She felt so safe when she was in his arms..

"Come on, let's get out of the cold," he suggested leading her to the front door of the building.

They walked into the lobby, and he told the doorman who they were seeing. The doorman called up to Paris. They got on the elevator and Tristan pushed the button for the 24th floor. He put his arm around Rory's shoulder and pulled her close kissing the top of her head.

Paris flung open the door as they walked down the hall to her apartment. She stepped out and pulled Rory in for an embrace. Rory looked at her and was surprised. What happened to Paris? She never did this before. They walked inside and Jess handed Tristan a beer. The men walked towards the kitchen area while Paris took Rory into the bedroom to talk.

"What happened?" Jess asked Tristan when they sat down on the stools in the kitchen.

"Rory was returning from the ladies room when she saw Logan Huntzberger talking to me at the bar. He had approached me while I was waiting to pay my tab. " Tristan exclaimed.

"Geeze. She must have freaked out."

Tristan took a long pull from his beer bottle before he responded.

"She did, then she met his friend Finn who happened to see us kissing in the hallway by the restrooms. Did you know that she and Finn were close?"

"No, I don't know Finn. Paris might. This is bad, man, I thought this was all behind her."

"I did too, but the way she acted it was as if she is still in love with him," Tristan said and took his beer and walked to the large window and looked out over the skyline of Hartford.

"Tristan I don't think so, Paris and I talked after she got off the phone. This relationship she had with Logan was one that was fractured from the start. There was cheating going on from the very beginning. They started this no strings relationship not long after she and Dean broke up. By then I was in California fixing my own life."

"You and Rory, dated?" Tristan asked him.

"We were kids in high school and I well... I said something to her, then I left, and we lost touch for a while."

"So this no strings,,, how could there have been cheating?" he asked Jess.

"I guess he got jealous, so they started dating, at one point they had a fight and he left for Costa Rica and she came to see me in Philadelphia, we almost kissed but she stopped it before it started. She told me that she couldn't, even though he had been cheating on her. She looked at me and told me that she loved him but that was over nine years ago"

Tristan stared out the window at the dark sky. "Do you think she still loves him?" he asked turning towards Jess.

"No, if she did she would never have hesitated when he proposed," Jess answered.

"Wait he proposed, and she said no? Then what brought them back together?" Tristan asked Jess.

Paris and Rory came back into the room. Tristan turned around and looked at her. She smiled and he walked over and tilting her chin up he asked, "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yes, Paris and I talked, she reminded me that the emotional mess I am feeling is probably my hormones that are still kicking in," Rory looked up at him and saw the concern on his face.

Biting her bottom lip she asked, "Tris can we go and talk?"

"Yes will my apartment be okay?"

"Yes."

They put on their coats and said goodbye to Jess and Paris.

Tris looked at Paris and gave her a hug. "I don't know what you said, but thanks."

"You're welcome. Take care of my girl. She needs time Tris. Her heart has been shattered."

They left the apartment and Jess put his arm around Paris's waist.

"Are we going to be okay?" he asked her.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I forgot that you two are close like brother and sister and your uncle married her mother so it would be weird if you two had any relationship," Paris said to him as they sat down on the couch to talk

"Exactly," he said as he kissed her gently on the lips. "Do you think she will be ok?"

"I think so, some of it is admitting that Logan was a mistake that she made twice. She just needs to realize that he is bad for her. You know, Jess, Rory is my best friend. She has always been there for me. She talked me down during my last year of medical school when Doyle left me for that starlet."

Paris got off the couch and started to walk around the room.

"Jess, at first I was hurt that she stopped calling me for a year, when she went back with Logan. When Rory returned home in May, she called, and we met up in the city and we talked. She explained how she met Logan in Hamburg, a year and a half ago. Rory told me how everything fell back in place between them. When I asked her why she kept it a secret she admitted that she was afraid to tell us; you, me, her parents. Rory knew what we would tell her, and she was right, but she had to figure that out for herself. For the last year and a half she tried giving Logan everything he wanted, sacrificing her dreams, her career to be with him. But what does he do? Stupid Neanderthal cheats on her not once but enough times to fill a zoo with his fangirling whores. Then he accepted his father's ridiculous plan even after he tells her that she is the only woman he ever will love. He is nothing but a hedonistic waste of a trust fund with a God complex that offers nothing to women or the world. Man I wish she would have let me get two minutes alone with him."

Jess walked over to where she was standing and pulled her into his chest. He smirked and said, "I know what you mean. Lorelai, Luke and I were worried about her, she was not Rory. She seemed lost, someone with no direction grabbing anything that came her way. When she took that job for nothing at Stars Hollow I was perturbed."

Jess kissed Paris's forehead and with his arm around her shoulder he led her back to the couch. They sat down and she cuddled into his side. "Paris,"

"Hmm," she replied holding his hand in hers.

"What's different this time? Rory is still Rory and what about Tristan? You told me yourself that Tristan was like Logan when he was younger."

"Jess, when Tristan was younger he was a rich, spoiled trust fund brat… Nature vs. Nurture. Leaving Hartford and Chilton he grew up and was able to become who he is today. If he stayed in his family's business then yeah sure he would have ended up being like Huntzberger but thankfully not all of his brain cells died, and he was able to multiply them in the academy and eventually nurture them to become the second-best doctor in Hartford. Can you imagine what your life might have been like if Liz never sent you to live with Luke? Same concept."

"I probably would have gone to "Juvy", he said.

"Yes you and Tristan both, the difference, your parents cared giving you the opportunity so that you both had a chance to grow up. Like you, Tristan works hard, and he is independent, yes he is rich, but his parents run the foundation that was set up when he got his inheritance. I think Tristan is the right person for Rory, but Tristan needs to take his time and let her heal. He needs to think with his heart instead of his dick."

Jess chuckled and said, "You amaze me, Dr Gellar. When did you become so wise?" he circled his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him.

Paris put her arms around Jess's waist, and she kissed him. "I guess I learned it along the way…" thinking back to the years with her life coach, her affair with her professor, and also talking to Lorelai. They all helped her get through the tough times of her life..

"Now where were we before we got interrupted," Jess asked her.

"We were going to order dinner," she said.

"Are you sure?" he added as he kissed her pushing her to the couch.

Tristan parked his car in a private garage below his apartment building. They took the elevator to his fifth-floor condo, where the elevator opened up to a small entrance where there was one door. He unlocked the door and they walked into a hallway where there was a coat tree, a bench and a table. Taking their coats, Tristan hung them on the tree and opened the door that led them into a large entrance facing a beautiful dining room. She was overwhelmed while looking at the large open room that flowed into the larger living room. It was painted a soft white with open beam ceilings and natural brick walls. There was so much potential for this house if only it had a woman's touch, Rory thought as she looked around at the huge fireplace that went up to the second floor. She looked up the stairs and felt like she had died and gone to literary heaven when she saw the beautiful floor to ceiling bookshelves.

"Do you like what you see?" he asked leaning against the doorway.

"The bookshelves, wow Tris, they are amazing.. Do you know how many people would kill to live in a place with built-in bookshelves? Not to mention the fact you have two libraries and wait…. have you even read these books?" She asked as she walked over to the bookshelves and noticed a familiar book that was dog eared.

"How could you commit such a heinous crime?" She whispered as she thumbed through the copy of the _Subsect._

"What do you mean? It's a good book, I mean yeah ok I like to write in the margins but it's my book."

"You like this book? I noticed it's been dog tagged. Do you also go to the pound to put electronic devices in the cute puppies ears? " she stated putting her hands on her hips.

"Wait… for what?" He asked confused

"The worst thing you could do to a book is bend their pages like that. Get a bookmark, get a string, put a picture in it but never bend the tips of the pages. That's just asking for the book to cry." She continued to rant.

"Mare, books don't have feelings. It's just a book."

"They are NEVER "Just a book", each book has its own personality. Just don't do it anymore, please."

He smirked and watched this beautiful girl take her fingers and gently gliding it down the spine of his book. She brought the book up to her nose, sniffing it, she sighed. Continuing her search through the book she noticed pencil marks in the margins. "I write in the margins too," she whispered smiling at him.

"Did I just see you sniff my book? So you can write in the margins, giving permanent mini tattoos but bend the page of my book and that's where you draw a line," he teased as he stooped down and looked in her eyes.

"Exactly, now you didn't answer my question… do you like this book? And did you read all of these books?" Curiosity is getting the better of her and she wondered if Tristan liked Jess's writing as much as she did.

"Yeah, it's a good book. J Mariano is a great author, I have more of his books down on the other shelf." He pointed out.

"Did you know that Jess wrote this book?" she asked Tristan.

Tristan walked over to her and stood behind her as she was looking through the book and reading his notes in the margins. She felt him reach behind her and gently took the book from her hands. She leaned against his chest as he leaned forward and gently moved her hair away from her neck.

He whispered, "I knew there was a reason I liked him…huh, J Mariano… sounds about right."

Tristan returned the book to the bookshelf and gently kissed her neck. Rory shivered when she felt his hot breath on her neck then the tender brush of his lips. Rory turned her head and looked at him over her shoulder. She gently leans in and kisses Tristan's warm lips. He looks in her eyes, knowing that he can no longer contain his feelings for her anymore.

Tristan hold's Rory's head in his hands and pulls her into a fiery passionate kiss. He kissed her and the world fell away. It was slow, soft, comforting in ways that she never had experienced. Tristan's large hand rested below her ear, and his thumb caressed her cheek. Their breaths mingled and she moved in and let her tongue stroke against his. She ran her fingers down his spine, pulling him closer until there was no space left between them and Rory could feel the beating of his heart against her chest. When they broke apart for air, Tristan rested his forehead against hers and they both took deep breaths. As he smirked she suddenly knew that she was completely unprepared for those lips, it was the most sensual feeling she had ever experienced. She sunk into his chest and placed her head over his beating heart.

He took her hand in his and led her back to the living room and lit the fire in the fireplace that he had ready. He walked over and sat beside her and put his arm around her. She curled up to his side, put her head on his shoulder, and was amazed at how easy they seemed to "fit" together, like a puzzle with all the right pieces.

"Tris, I'm sorry I made you leave your dinner with your parents early, " she told him, "I was silly. I should have just faced him, and he would see that I am okay."

"Mare, I understand. I understand how hard it was to see him today, so soon after…."

Rory leaned into his arms as he cuddled her close to his side. Suddenly she felt the calm she needed in the storm that was in her heart earlier. Rory looked up at him and realized that he gave her hope for the first time, for a future. She suddenly realized that with him there was nothing for her to be afraid of anymore.

"Tris being here with you, at this moment, I have clarity."

"Oh yeah what's that?" He asked cautiously

"I don't have to be afraid anymore."

He looked at her face and gently moved the hair off her forehead. Tristan's lips press against hers. She could feel his passion, affection, and his love, as his hands gently roam her body.

"You're beautiful, " he whispers. "You have a natural beauty that comes from within, something I noticed the first time I saw you in English class when we were kids."

She tilted her head up looking in his eyes and realized he was telling her the truth. She raised her head and kissed him tenderly on the lips and he responded putting all of his emotion behind it. He took her hand in his interlacing their fingers, he rested his cheek against her head. "Tell me about this magazine you were talking about at dinner. That was the first I heard about it."

"Jess came over to the house with a job offer. He and his partners at Truncheon Books, Matt, and Chris, purchased a few small newspapers that they are doing online. They need a reporter and Jess felt this would be a perfect job for me. I could continue my writing but also help them out. The paper will be online which makes it easy for me to stay around here. I wouldn't need to relocate, and he is offering me a contract with benefits. They bought the Stars Hollow Gazette and I can write my own column and also feature articles for that paper. They want to focus on the local economy and businesses in the area. I thought my first article could be about the local wineries, Inns and restaurants that use the local resources, the Farm to Table concept that is all the rage. Mom uses it, with Sookie and Jackson provides all the local produce. "

"Is this something you are considering?"

"Yes, I can remain around here, the only traveling would be local, and I would not need to compete with the larger publishing companies."

Tristan played with her long brown hair gently stroking it as they talked.

"Would you move back to Stars Hollow?"

"No, there is nothing there for me. With mom and Luke returning from their honeymoon, there is no room for me there at their house. I think I will begin to look for my own place here, but I need to buy a car first."

She felt his fingertips slowly skim her neck and her ear causing her body to tingle. A small grin crept across her face causing her to blush a bright crimson. She looked into his eyes, a blue that at one time she used to believe were glacier eyes, ice cold, professional judging and making decisions. But now the professional man was gone, instead there was a man who was willing to love deeply. Looking into his eyes she saw eyes that were kinder, soft with love, someone putting their heart on the table.

"Rory, we are okay, you and me. We can take our relationship slow. I will back you up on any decisions you make. "

Nodding her head and thinking about how their world finally connected she realized that there wasn't another man like him. Did fate really bring them together after all these years. Her breathing became softer and she began to relax, no longer worried about plans and decisions she had no control over. There was something about his gaze and his sweet words that made her realize that at this moment their souls have made a connection. She sighed and turned her head so she could tenderly kiss his lips.

"Thank you," she said after she kissed him.

He looked at her in surprise and said softly, "For what?"

"For being you, not pressuring me, understanding why I was upset today, and not acting possessive and jealous when you met Finn."

"Who said I wasn't jealous?" he said to her.

"But you listened, you understood," she told him.

"I did, after listening to him I realized that he cares deeply for you and wants to see you happy. Finn is a good friend to you, and I am happy that you have someone like Finn and Jess in your life."

Tristan pulled her in for another kiss and Rory leaned her whole body into him. HIs soft, warm lips took over her whole mouth as they clung together. He pulled away silently, and their eyes locked having a private conversation of their own. Tristan wanted her and knew that he had to move her off the couch before they went too far. He pulled her up off the couch and began to sway with her in his arms.

"What are you doing?" she asked him giggling as she let her arms rest on his shoulders around his neck.

He gave her his sassy grin. "Dancing. Mary, do you know how long I have waited to hold you in my arms like this? To hold you close and dance with you. Why do you think at sixteen I bought tickets to take you to the dance, and then to a concert."

"i just thought you wanted me to have sex with you?" she said and moved her face closer to his.

Tristan threw his head back in laughter, "Yeah, I was a rogue back then. I thought I had game. I should have known that you saw right through me."

Tristan gently ran his fingers through her hair, then he skims her cheekbone with his fingertips before tracing her lips with his thumb. She opens her mouth and he gently pressed his thumb on her bottom lip. She felt his warm breath on her lips leaning in as he gently traces her lips with his tongue before he touches his lips on hers. They break their kiss and still swaying he twirls her around the room. He glances out the window and he notices that it was snowing outside. He took her hand and they walked over to the picture window and he turned on the light on his balcony.

"It's snowing," she said to him.

"It is," he said smirking and watched as she went to open the patio door.

"What are you doing?" he asked her.

"Come on, there is something magical about the first snowfall," she told him with her eyes twinkling. "My mother always said that the first snow always brings the magic." She put her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes and kissed his lips.

"And she is right, because today it brought me you," she told him.

Their bodies fit together as if they were made for each other. Rory wanted Tristan more than she had ever wanted anyone else. She could feel the electric pulses through her skin as his hand touches her back and pulls her closer to him.

"Mare," he whispers huskily into her ear as she felt his five o'clock shadow rub against her cheek. "I want to make love to you." He kisses her again passionately stopping before they both lose control.

"Mare, I want you, but I know you aren't ready."

She reaches up and touches his face and looks into his eyes. "I know ," she admits as she traces his lip lightly with the tip of her finger. Tristan pouts slightly and Rory feels an urge to bite it, to kiss it but instead she snuggles into his chest, letting him wrap his arms around her

He gently kisses the top of her head.

.

"Tris, Paris was right."

" Really? About what?"

"You, how I was attracted to you when I was sixteen."

"And now, Mare? Are you still attracted to me?"

"I am."

Rory gently caressed his chest through his shirt, with her fingertips, nodding and kissing him lightly on the lips. He pulled her close to him and she put her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat through his blue cotton shirt wishing that she could stay here in his arms all night. Tristan held her like that for a while as the snow swirled around them.

"Come on, it's cold out here," he told her, and they walked back into the house. She lifted her head up and looked at him. He smiled and pulled her close to him he kissed her deeply. When they broke apart he kissed her cheeks, her neck and collarbone. He had his hands in her hair and let his fingers brush each silken strand as he continues to stare deep into her eyes.

"Are you ready to go home?" he finally asks her.

"No, not after you kissed me like that, but I think I better."

Tristan walked over to the counter and picked up his phone and pager. Walking to the coat rack, he takes her coat and helps her. He pulled the lapels of her coat to him and kissed her deeply again. Taking her hand they stepped in the elevator together and walked it to the garage. As they drove back to her grandmother's house he asked, "Do you have plans for tomorrow?"

"No, I was thinking of doing some research for Jess. Why?"

"Tomorrow is Saturday and I have no surgeries scheduled. How about we join my parents on a wine tour. Some of the wineries have restaurants and you can do some research. As a bonus my parents can get to know you better, and I can spend my day off with you.. ."

"So there is a method to your madness," she teased.

"Always, Mare. If anything I am persistent when I want something." He pulled out into traffic and she couldn't control the grin that spread across her face.

"I remember."

She reached across the console and took his right hand in hers liking the way his long fingers interlace in hers.

Fifteen minutes later they pull up in front of her grandmother's home and he walked her to the door.

"Do me a favor, don't rush looking for a place to live yet?"

"Why?"

"I just don't want you to be in a hurry."

"Okay….."

"I will call you tomorrow morning and tell you the plans."

She smiled up at him, and he wrapped his arms around his waist.

"I enjoyed our little dance tonight, but the next time can we dance to music?" she teased.

"We will, because I am going to take you to the Winter Ball. Will you be my date, Miss Gilmore?"

"I would love to, Dr. Dugray."

He kissed her, it was slow and soft, comforting and in that instant she was lost in his kiss. Rory never felt the soft snowflakes land on them. All she felt was his hand resting behind her ear and his thumb caressing her cheek as their breaths mingled. She ran her hands down the back of his leather jacket pulling him closer to her. Tristan lifted his head up, his eyes dark with passion, and he hesitantly let go of her.

"Good night Tristan. ."

"Good night Mare."

Giving her a quick peck on her forehead, he turned and walked to his car as she went inside.


	20. Chapter 19 Wine Therapy

**Taking Back Control Chapter 19 Wine Therapy**

 **Chapter 19 Wine Therapy**

Saturday, November 12

Rory awoke at seven thirty thinking about last evening. Her dinner with Tristan's parents was enjoyable until Logan and his family appeared. Thinking back she realized now that she shouldn't have run from them, she wasn't doing anything wrong and she had nothing to be embarrassed about. She needs to move on with her life, and she needs to apologize today to Tristan's mother and father. She got up and went into the bathroom. Since she was up, she took her shower and put on her yoga pants and her Yale sweatshirt. It was early, and no one was around, so she made some coffee for herself and her dad. She poured herself a cup a coffee and decided to go and work on her laptop when she heard her phone ring. Setting her mug down on the kitchen counter she answered her phone.

"Good morning, Mare, did I wake you?"

"Good morning, I've been awake for a while, " she told him. She took a sip of her coffee.

"Do you still want to spend the day together? Because I called my parents and they love the idea of us joining them on a wine tour today."

"I would love to do that," she told him. "When are they planning to leave?"

"The wineries open around 11. My mom suggested that you join us for some breakfast before we leave. Is there any chance you can be ready around 9:30?" he asked her.

"I can be ready, " she said smiling. "What can I bring?"

"Just your beautiful smile. I'll see you soon, Mare. "

She ended her call and bringing her coffee mug with her she returned to her bedroom to find something suitable and comfortable to wear. She decided on her skinny black jeans, a white v neck blouse and a coral pink and aqua print silk scarf to wear around her neck. She quickly got dressed then sat down at the vanity to do her hair and makeup. Looking in the mirror, Rory pulled the right side of her hair and put it into a French braid. She brushed the left side and pulled it back to meet the braid and pinned it together with a large hair clip. She took her curling iron and leaving the rest of her hair down; she curled the long brown strands into soft curls that rested on her shoulder. She checked the clock and decided she had time for another cup of coffee. Rory looked at herself one more time in the full-length mirror then slipped on her black boots with the two-inch stacked heel, then went to the kitchen for another cup of coffee. When she walked into the kitchen, she saw her father sitting at the counter with a plate of cinnamon rolls and a cup of coffee. "Good morning," she said to him.

"Good morning. You look nice, are you going somewhere this morning?" he asked her when Rory gave him a kiss on his cheek.

"I am, Tristan and his parents have invited me to go on a wine tour today, " she told him.

"That sounds like fun. How was dinner last night?" he asked.

Pouring herself another cup of coffee, she sat down on a stool next to her father at the island and said, "It started out good, but it ended badly. The Huntzbergers showed up at the club."

"Mitchum?"

"Not only Mitchum but also Shira and Logan with his friends."

"Did you talk to them?" he asked her concerned.

"No, I managed to leave before they saw me, but I did run into Finn, " she told her father.

"Finn? Do I know him?"

"You met him once, a few years ago, when I was in the city. Finn and I were having dinner, and you walked into the restaurant with Lana."

"Oh yeah, I remember. He is the tall guy with an English accent that was telling me about the best places to go spearfishing."

"Yes," she chuckled remembering that. "Finn is from Australia and is a good friend of mine. He has been worried, I was supposed to call him after the wedding but…" Rory began to tear up.

Seeing this, Chris got up and hugged his daughter. "I am sorry kiddo."

Rory let her father hug her and finally, she pulled away and wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

"I'm not going to let Logan upset me, " she told her dad.

"Good, you go and enjoy yourself with your young doctor," Christopher told her.

"Thanks, dad. Oh, dad, Tristan's father says he knows you. Do you remember a Jack Dugray?"

"Jack… Jack Dugray? Woah now that is a blast from the past. Yea I do, he was about three or four years older than me. I used to hang out with him when my parents went to the club. He taught me how to play golf. Boy, I haven't seen him in years. Wait, I never realized he had a son your age. Tristan is his son?"

"Dad, I'm not surprised. You were not living around here and when I went to Chilton, you never had the chance to go visit the school. So, of course, you never made the connection with Tristan and Jack. Mom never made the connection either. However he remembers you, and he told me to tell you hello. "

"When you see him later today, tell him I said hello. I can't believe it. Your mom used to think he was cute, which made me a little jealous. Wow, what a small world we live in, " Chris chuckled.

She glanced up at the kitchen clock and noticed it was almost nine-thirty. She stood up and put her mug in the sink. "I better finish getting ready, Tristan will be here soon."

She walked back into her bedroom and brushed her teeth. She added a light mist of hairspray to her hair and added some mascara and lip-gloss. She took out her black leather crossbody bag and transferred her wallet, and other items back into it. She unzipped her long coat so she could wear it as a jacket today. She was adjusting the scarf around her neck when she heard the doorbell ring. She quickly switched her earrings to small diamond studs and added a gold cuff to her wrist. She walked out and smiled when she saw Tristan sitting in the front room talking with her father.

Hi," she smiled at him. He looked handsome in his denim jeans, his boots, white Henley sweater, and black leather jacket. She noticed he hadn't shaved, and she liked this scruffy look on him.

"Didn't have time to shave this morning?" she teased.

"This is my weekend look," he told her smirking. "I am cleanly shaven all week, so generally on the weekend, I'm a sexy rebel." He wrinkled his nose at her and grinned. Rory laughed and touched his cheek.

"You think you are a sexy rebel, Bible Boy?" She brought her had up to his cheek and touched it. Tristan grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes, he was ready to kiss her but stopped when he heard her father.

"Bible Boy? Rory isn't that the name your mother had for one of your friends at Chilton?" Christopher laughed.

"Yes, that would be Tristan. She also called you Satan's Spawn."

"Satan's Spawn , hmmmm, I like that but don't tell my father that," he said leaning down and pecking her on the cheek.

She raised her eyebrows up and turned and gave her father a kiss goodbye. Holding hands, they walked together towards the front door.

"I will tell my dad you were asking about him, Mr. Hayden."

"Do that, I look forward to seeing him again, and Tristan, please call me Chris," Christopher said as they shook hands.

Chris opened the door for them, and they walked out to the driveway where his car was parked. He walked around the car with her to the passenger side, but before he opened her door, he pulled her to him and kissed her soundly on the lips.

"MMM….. good morning, " he said to her not letting go of her waist. She had put her hands around his neck and smiled up at him.

"Good Morning too."

"So I'm Satan's spawn? Mare, I look forward to corrupting you," he told her.

"You know you taste and smell so good, like coffee with a hint of vanilla, " he said nuzzling her neck. She kissed him on the cheek, and he released her helping her into the car.

They arrived at the Dugray home on Bassette Lane in West Hartford. Tristan pulled up into the large driveway and pulled his car over to the side not to block the 3-car garage. She remembered that he lived in one of the huge homes in West Hartford, but she had only seen his grandfather's house. He got out of the car and walked around to open the door for her.

"Wow, your parents' home is amazing," she said as she looked at the beautiful stone and stucco home. She looked at the grounds and noticed the flag of a golf course.

"You really think so? "

Rory looked at him confused.

"Mare, I mean, you should be used to it because your grandparents had a very beautiful home."

"Yes but that was their world not mine, I only lived there for a short time, but it never felt like home. OH, Tristan is that the Country Club over there?"

"Yes, my parents' home borders the ninth hole of the Hartford Golf Club."

"Are they members there?"

"Yes, and they are members at the Polytech club too. The bar and the restaurant , at the Polytech club, is more fine dining. They kept their membership at the Hartford Golf Club because the Dugray's have been charter members, but they joined the Polytech Club mostly because of the restaurant and bar. Dad is an avid golfer and plays on two different leagues one at each club, but my mom plays on a league only at Polytech." Tristan explained all this to her as he held her hand and walked toward the front entrance to the house.

"Oh, I golfed at the Hartford Club with my grandfather, but never at Polytech."

"You golf?"

"Yes, does that surprise you?"

Putting his arm around her shoulder, he laughs, "Everything I learn about you surprises me, Mare. We will have to go golfing together sometime."

She laughed and kissed him on the lips. "Yea, I don't think so."

He opened the door to the house yelling, "Mom, Dad we are here."

"Out in the Kitchen," his mother answered.

They walked into a large foyer with marble floors; the house had an open floor plan with a great room off the foyer. It was a very bright room with a lot of natural light coming through the large windows. Tristan led her into the kitchen where his mother was busy at the center island.

"Hello Rory, I am so glad you can join us today."

"Thank you for including me. Mrs. Dugray, I wanted to apologize for my behavior last night. I am sorry that I ended our dinner so quickly."

Tristan walked over to Rory and pulled a chair beside the counter out for her to sit on. He stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders gently rubbing them.

"No need to apologize. Tristan mentioned that your grandmother was ill. I understand how stressful it is when a loved one is in the hospital. What would you like to drink? I have coffee, tea, juice, and I can make you a smoothie if you want. Oh, Tristan, your green tea smoothie is ready for you in the refrigerator."

"Thanks' mom," he replied.

Tristan walked over to the stainless-steel refrigerator and took out his smoothie. He then pulled out the chair beside Rory and sat down beside her and taking a hold of her hand.

"Coffee is fine, Mrs. Dugray."

Gwen handed Rory a mug of coffee and said, "Call me Gwen, Rory. No need to be so formal. Jackson should be back shortly. I thought we would have a big breakfast before we go so I had the cook prepare an asparagus quiche, and a quiche Lorraine with sides of sausage, bacon and her wonderful homemade bread. As soon as Jackson returns we can eat."

"Where did he go, mom," Tristan asked her as he was gently twisting one of Rory's curls between his fingers.

"Oh, Mitchum Huntzberger called and wanted your father to go over some contract that he had the lawyers draw up for his son and his future wife. Andrew McCrae suggested to Mitchum to have your father look through them. So last night before we left the restaurant, Mitchum came over to the table and told your dad that he would call him. I have no idea why he asked your father about them. I mean Andrew and his son are his lawyers. You think they would know what they are doing."

"Well mom, dad's specialty is international and contracts law," Tristan said to her.

Rory sat quietly drinking her coffee glancing at Tristan out of the corner of her eye. Tristan could sense that she was becoming uncomfortable with the conversation, so he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

Whispering he told her, "It's okay, Mare."

"Well, your father doesn't know him very well. He is six or seven years older than us, and Mitchum assumes that because your grandfather and his father were good friends and since his younger brother was your father's best friend, that he can use him for advice or favors whenever he sees fit."

"Funny I didn't know that. I'm sure it is nothing mom. I know you don't like the Huntzbergers, but dad will be home shortly." Tristan got up and gave his mother a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"You're right Tristan. Here I am acting rude to our guest. Rory, last night you mentioned that your grandmother had been in the hospital. Tristan told me that it was your grandmother, Francine Hayden. How is she doing today? She and your grandfather were close friends with my mother and father in law."

"I am not sure; Dad was going to leave later this morning to see her. I have a feeling she will be in the hospital for a while longer," she replied.

Tristan walked behind Rory again and gently squeezed her shoulders. "Mare, there is no need to worry. She is a very strong woman and even though she had open heart surgery it is normal for them to stay in the hospital for at least a week."

Gwen smiled at her son and watched him gently touch Rory's shoulder.

"Tristan, I forgot to tell you, last night after you left we ran into Chandler and Margery Bowman, so we invited them to join us. We plan to meet them at the first winery. I called Marge this morning and told her that you and Rory would be joining us, so she was going to see if Andy and Francie wanted to join us too."

"Andy and Francie?" she whispered to Tristan.

"Yes, that's Bowman's first name, he married Francie Jarvis. You remember her from Chilton, don't you?"

"Oh yeah, the Puffs," Rory said and rolling her eyes.

Tristan chuckled and then leaned in whispering, "Is there a story behind that Mare?"

"Yes, it involves me, Paris and Francie. But not today, I don't want to ruin our time together with things that happened in the past."

He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips and smirked. "I agree, now about the past, I think we should tell my mother about you and Logan."

She looked at him a little nervous and hesitated and looked anxiously up at him. He rubbed her back gently and nodded.

"Okay," she told him.

Gwen was watching their interaction. She had been around Tristan a lot these last few years, and this was the first time her son had brought a girl over to their home to meet them. She has never seen him show outward signs of affection towards anyone before. Gwen smiled at the two of them; it was so good to see her son with such a beautiful young woman who was independent and not interested in his wealth. She noticed that Rory nodded to Tristan after he whispered in her ear. Tristan looked up and said, "Mom, we need to tell you something."

She looked at him startled. She wonders if he was going to tell her that he was going to get married or that this woman was pregnant with his child. However this wouldn't be a bad thing, she wanted to be a grandmother, and Rory Gilmore was from a good family in Hartford, not like some of the nurses she had seen him dating in the past when they attended the galas at the hospital.

"What?" she asked tilting her head.

"Umm, Gwen, I need to explain why I left the club last evening. You see, Logan Huntzberger and I were in a relationship until the end of April. I ended it when I found out he had the arrangement to marry Odette Chanéac and was engaged, even though we had been dating again for a year and a half. I thought we were in an exclusive relationship, but I guess I was wrong."

"He was in a relationship with you and yet became engaged to someone else?" Gwen asked astonished.

"Yes, it's a long story. We had broken up, but I found out recently that Logan has been trying to find me again."

"No dear, you don't have to explain yourself. It is obvious that the nut, in this case, doesn't fall too far from the tree."

Tristan started to laugh, "Mom, I take it you aren't a fan of the Huntzbergers?"

"No, they are not liked here in Hartford. We cringe whenever Shira comes back and joins one of the committees. We all wish they would stay over in England."

"Who do you wish would stay in England?" Jackson Dugray asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"Hello Rory, Tristan. I am so glad that you could join us today," he said and gently kissed Rory on her cheek and shook his son's hand.

"Oh, the Huntzbergers," Gwen answered and poured her husband a cup of coffee and handed it to him.

"Mom, Dad, whatever you do you can't tell them that you know her. Mare wants nothing to do with Logan, and I don't like it that he is searching for her. It's bad enough he came to the hospital asking questions," Tristan said with concern in his voice.

"Mare? I thought your name is Rory?" Jackson was confused when he heard Tristan refer to Rory as Mare.

"It is. Tristan always teased me in Chilton and called me Mary. Now he has shortened it to Mare."

"Why do you call her that?" Gwen asked.

"Let's just say she looks like a Mary to me," Tristan said and kissed Rory's cheek.

Jackson smiled at his son and shook his head. "Tristan I can't believe they did that when you went to Chilton. Rory, I apologize for my son's behavior."

"That's okay; I had a few names for him too. But now, I like it when he calls me Mare."

"Oh really, well someday I would like to hear those names. Tristan was rebellious when he was younger, but I am proud of him now. So what does the Huntzbergers have to do with this?" Jackson asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee

Looking at Rory first Tristan said, "Rory and Logan had been dating up until this past spring when she broke up with him. They met and dated when she went to Yale."

"Rory, no wonder you look familiar. Gwen do you remember the USO show they had back in 2006 sponsored by the DAR. I remember the Huntzbergers arriving late and the chair of the committee gave them a table far away from the center of the room. I remember standing at the bar that day telling Chandler, finally a committee chair had the nerve to put them in their place." Smiling he looked at her, "That chair was you, wasn't it."

Rory shrugged her shoulders and blushed.

Tristan looked at Rory with new respect, "You were the committee chair and did that?"

"Yes, they never RSVP, and that was the only table available," she told him.

Tristan put his arm around her and hugged her. "Still a rule follower aren't you."

"Yup," she said grinning at him.

"Stick with me, Mare, and I will teach you how to break the rules," he whispered in her ear.

"I have broken rules too Bible Boy, but that is another story."

"Well we better start eating, the town car will be here at ten thirty, I told Chandler that we would meet him at Rosedayles farm vineyards by eleven," Jackson said.

They all walked into the sunny kitchen nook that Gwen had all set up. Rory helped Gwen take the food out of the warming oven and bring it to the table.

"This smell delicious," Rory said as she carried one of the quiches to the table.

"Do you cook?" Jackson asked her.

"No," she said blushing as Tristan held out her chair. "My stepfather owns a diner, and my mom owns and runs the Dragonfly Inn. There was never any need or time for my mother to learn how to cook."

"The Dragonfly Inn? I have heard of that. The Travel and Leisure magazine wrote a wonderful review of the place and their chef," Gwen said.

"Yes, Sookie, she is my mom's best friend and part owner of the Inn. It's a beautiful place filled with antiques. You will have to go to Stars Hollow and visit it sometime." Tristan reached under the table and squeezed her hand. They all began to eat talking about what the plans were for the day.

Rory, Gwen, Jackson, and Tristan met up with the Bowmans at the Rosedayles Farm and Vineyard at eleven fifteen. Tristan was helping Rory out of the town car when Bowman and his wife Francie walked over to them. Immediately Francie ran and gave Tristan a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Rory stood there watching feeling a little bit jealous.

"Our son's favorite doctor," Francie said to him. Bowman clasped Tristan's hand, and they bumped shoulders as they did in high school. Rory just stood there watching. Gwen and Marj were watching the interaction of their son's while Jack and Chandler began to talk shop.

Tristan walked back over to Rory and put his arm around her, "Mare you remember Bowman, and this is his wife, Francie. You might remember her as Francie Jarvis."

Bowman and Francie looked at Rory who looked stunning standing there. Francie immediately looked at her old nemesis and immediately felt old and fat. Rory looked like she stepped out of a Neiman Marcus catalog in her skinny black jeans, white v neck blouse with a silk scarf draped stylishly around her neck wearing a short black coat. Francie looked down at herself wearing a Red Tunic sweater over her mom jeans and ballet flats. She had gained thirty pounds since she had married Andy Bowman fourteen years ago and now she found herself standing in front of her high school rival who was dating every Chilton high school girls dream date and still thin and looking beautiful.

"No way! Rory Gilmore. I can't believe it. Didn't you go to Harvard or some Ivy League school when you graduated?" Bowman asked her.

"I went to Yale," she said. "Hi, Francie nice to see you again. Didn't you go to Brown?"

"I started at Brown but never finished. It has been a long time," Francie said trying to make polite small talk.

"Yes, it has," Rory said. They all walked toward the tasting room together. Tristan clasped Rory's hand in his as Francine and Andy walked side by side behind them.

Francie glared at them then grabbed her husband's arm stopping him from going inside the winery.

She whispered, "Andy, when did they start dating? Wasn't he dating some nurse, April or something like that?"

"I don't know. You know that I don't see him much."

"Well I don't like the way you were looking at her?"

"What are you talking about?" Bowman asked his wife looking at her like she was crazy. His wife recently had been acting crazier than normal, it was getting to the point that he didn't want to go home after work anymore.

Everyone else walked into the beautiful winery and was greeted by the tasting room manager.

"Welcome to Rosedayles Farm and Vineyard. Have you ever been here before?" the tasting room manager asked them.

"No we haven't, this is our first visit to your winery," Jackson responded.

"That's great, let me get you set up with Laura, she will be pouring the tastings for you today. When you are finished if you wish a tour of the Farm and the winery, Laura will contact me, and I will be happy to take you out back so you can see how we make the wine."

Jackson and Chandler followed the tasting manager toward a beautiful wood and granite bar where Laura was standing and placing eight glasses and eight tasting sheets on the bar. Tristan and Rory began walking around the tasting room, holding hands and checking out the different wines that were on the shelves. Marge and Gwen were busy chatting and followed their husbands over to the bar. Jackson and Chandler discussed how they would pay for today's wine trip, they agreed on taking turns paying for the tasting for everyone at each winery. It was rare for either of them to spend time with their sons and Jackson was enjoying the time that he had with Tristan since it didn't happen often.

"I will get the first tastings," Jackson said and handed Laura forty dollars to cover the tastings.

Francine and Andy had stopped at the entrance of the winery where they were quietly arguing.

"Why are you mad at me?" Andy asked, "All I said was wow when she got out of the car."

"You never say Wow like that about me," Francie said to her husband.

"Well, I see you every day. I haven't seen her since she was in high school. She is really a knockout. Tristan always knew how to find the best-looking women." Andy looked over at Tristan who was stealing a kiss from Rory. Yes, Tristan had a way with the women and was smart enough not to start a family at a young age. He wondered if his life would have been different if his father had sent him away to military school too.

Francine glared at her husband and stormed over to the bar. Andy shook his head and couldn't understand his wife's behavior, so he followed her, not knowing what he said wrong. Tristan and Rory had walked over to the bar while they were arguing and stood beside Gwen. Tristan positioned himself behind Rory so that he could place his arms around her waist. They stood together laughing and talking to his mother. Marjorie turned and looked at her son and daughter in law when they joined them.

"There you are. We have been waiting for you two to come over to the bar so we can get started."

Francine walked over and stood on the end of the group beside Rory and glared at her husband who stood behind her and began to talk to Tristan.

"Here are your tasting sheets," Laura said as everyone was standing at the bar.

"You each can taste five different wines from our lists. Just make a mark next to the ones you want to taste. I will start at the top of the tasting sheet, describe each wine. I will pour the wines that you have marked on your sheet, and I start at the top with the dry wine's first then we move down the list to the sweeter wines which are listed at the bottom."

They each took a pencil and began marking their sheet. Tristan looked at the ten wines on the list.

"Hey Mare, what are you going to choose?"

"I was going to choose three whites and two reds, why?" she asked him reading the descriptions of the wines.

"I have an idea, why don't we alternate, and we can share this way we can taste all the wines. Do you like sweet or dry?"

Rory looked at him and said, "Are you trying to get me drunk?"

Leaning down he whispered, "Will that guarantee I can have my way with you?"

She punched his arm, "No, but to answer your question, if I am eating food generally I enjoy a nice dry wine, but sometimes if I am just drinking a glass of wine I might like it a little sweeter. It depends on what I am doing. How about you?"

"Same if it is with meals, but I prefer a beer if I am just drinking," Tristan told her.

"Spoken like a true man," she said laughing at him.

"Do you have something against men?" he asked her pulling her back close to his front.

She giggled and pretended to read the wine list blushing when she felt his arousal brush against her back.

"Look there are ten wines, let's alternate, we can alternate and do every other one sharing the tasting. You can't get drunk that fast." He teased her whispering in her ear.

"Okay," she said as she marked all three whites and the two reds, on her sheet and Tristan chose the two whites and the three reds on his sheet. He put his arms around her waist, and she leaned into his chest while they waited.

"What did you two choose," Gwen asked Rory and Tristan.

"We decided to split the list, and then share the tasting," Rory told her.

"Not a bad idea," Gwen said and winked at her.

Laura started explaining the first white wine called Simsbury Celebration which was made from the Seyval grape that was grown on their estate. Rory wasn't a fan of the Seyval grape, and all three of the white wines had that grape in it, either it was blended with a Riesling or the Cayuga Grape which was developed by Cornell. So with the first two white wines, she only took a sip and let Tristan finish the rest.

"I can't get you drunk if you only take a sip," he whispered.

"I know," she giggled. Tristan rested his chin on the top of her head as she leaned into his chest.

As Laura was explaining about the Three Sister Wine, Tristan remarked, "I know about that grape." The Three Sisters wine was a blend of Cayuga and Sauvignon Blanc.

"Dad, do you remember after my graduation from Cornell, we went on a wine tour around Cayuga Lake?"

"Oh that's right, remember Gwen, we stayed at that beautiful castle on one of the lakes," Jack responded.

"Where is Cornell?" Francie asked her husband.

"In upstate New York," he told her.

"Oh, you mean Westchester county?"

"No, it's further northwest in the Finger Lakes area, it's in the city of Ithaca," Rory replied.

"Oh, I have never been there. We usually travel abroad when we do travel. We were just in Europe last summer. Have you been to Europe Rory?"

Rory looked at Francie and looked up at Tristan who just smirked.

She understood what Francie was trying to do so she replied, "Yes, many times. I backpacked around Europe the summer I graduated from Chilton, then traveled there many times after that. These last few years it has been for work, not for vacation, since I am a journalist. I have been living and working in London until recently when I returned to Hartford and Stars Hollow."

Gwen looked over at her and smiled. She didn't care for Francie, and neither did Marge. Her friend confided in her that because of her grandchildren she was afraid that if Francie became angry with them, she would refuse to let her see her grandchildren. Francie looked at Rory and stood there quietly. Francie was surprised when Rory told her that she lived in London, no wonder she looks so stylish. She wondered why Rory ever left London and how did she and Tristan get back together after all these years.

The tasting continued, and soon they were trying the red wines. Tristan and Rory enjoyed Lou's Red, a beautiful red table wine which was a blend of Merlot and Sangiovese and agreed that they should purchase a bottle of that wine. When the tasting was over, Rory and Tristan decided to buy a few bottles. Jackson agreed with Tristan', and while the men were purchasing the wine, Rory began to wander around the store. They had some beautiful fall mums for sale that they grew right there on the farm along with an assortment of pies, cheese, and cakes for sale. She took out her phone and took a few photographs of the place. She was outside taking pictures when Francie walked up to her.

"See much of Paris anymore? You two were as thick as thieves when you were at Chilton."

"Yes, Tristan and I were at her apartment last night," Rory said as she walked towards the town car.

"Wait you talk to Paris? She hated you especially after you were Valedictorian?"

"Well, things change Francie. Paris and I were roommates at Yale, and Tristan and Paris are close friends too."

Tristan was walking to the town car carrying the box of wine when he overheard the two girls talking.

"What about Paris?"

"Francie didn't realize that Paris and I are close friends and that you are too."

"Oh, yea, Paris and I went to medical school together. We got to know each other better, and once you get to know her, she really is a kind person. Just a little high strung and misunderstood."

Tristan walked over to Rory and put his arm around her shoulder. Smiling down at her he said, "Hey Mare, do you see they have a corn maze over there? Want to take a walk and get lost in there? I can go inside and buy two tickets."

He teased her and tried to lead her towards the corn maze, wiggling his eyebrows and kissing her. Jackson walked out of the winery and was placing the wine in the trunk of the town car and yelled over to his son.

"Tristan, are you both ready to go to the next winery?"

Jackson watched his son kiss and guide Rory towards the corn maze. He started laughing and looked at his wife. "What's gotten into him?" he asked her.

"I think our son is in love," she responded and looped her arm in her husbands and hugged him.

Rory started to laugh and yelled, "Yes we are ready."

"Oh Mare. You're no fun," he whispered nuzzling her neck, " I had some great ideas about what I would do to you once we got lost in there."

Rory started laughing and punched his arm.

His parents stood beside the car smiling as they watched the couple walk towards the car with Tristan's arm slung around her shoulder.

"You're still a devil," she told him.

"Just living up to the name your mother gave me."

They got back to the car, and she slid in next to Gwen still laughing at Tristan.

"The Bowmans are going to meet us at the next winery," Jackson said as he climbed into the car beside Tristan.

As they were driving to the next winery, Gwen looked at Rory and said, "Rory, I hope you don't mind, but I told Marjorie not to mention your name to Shira Huntzberger. Marjorie doesn't like Shira however she does tend to brag, so I didn't want her to slip and say that you and Tristan were dating. When she asked why I explained that you and Logan dated, and it didn't end well."

"Thank you. Yes, as you can imagine it was difficult seeing Logan last night with his fiancée… It was easier for me to get over him knowing that he lives an ocean away. I just wasn't expecting to see him here in Hartford."

"Mom, Logan is also obsessed with her. As I mentioned earlier, he came looking for her when she was in the hospital too," Tristan explained to his mother. Jackson looked at her with concern.

"You know, I have contacts with the police department if you want I can put a restraining order on him," Jackson told her.

"No, really that's okay, Mr. Dugray. He will be returning to London soon."

"Rory, please call me Jack."

"Thank you Jack," she said and smiled.

"Rory if there is anything we can do, just let me know. I know that Tristan will also make sure you are safe," Jackson said and smiled at her.

The driver pulled into the next winery called Brignole Vineyard. This was a beautiful winery that spanned fifteen acres with a two-tiered deck that faced the vineyard. An acoustic guitar player was playing music inside the tasting room. They entered the winery and walked over to the wine tasting bar.

Hannah was one of seven people behind the bar serving the tastings. Chandler paid for their tastings this time while Rory and Tristan again split the tastings and tasted each other's wine. The eight of them were all in agreement when they sipped the wine called Cancello a blend of Merlot and Sangiovese grapes, but this wine also had the Cabernet grape. Tristan and Rory also liked the wine called Crossbred, which had softer tannins. Gwen and Rory loved the Golden Oak which was their Chardonnay wine. As the men were purchasing the wine, Rory's phone rang. She walked out on the deck and answered it.

"Hey Loin fruit, where are you?"

"Hi mom, I am at the beautiful Brignole winery with Tristan and his parents. Where are you?" she asked her mother.

After the breakfast crowd left the diner that morning, Lorelai and Luke drove to Hartford General Hospital to visit Francine. Lorelai was hoping that she could spend time with Rory since she really didn't have much time with her yesterday morning. She missed her mother-daughter talks, and she was curious about her relationship with Bible Boy aka Dr. Dugray.

"Yeah, your dad told us. I was hoping to see you today and find out the dirt about you and the doctor," Lorelai said pouting.

"Oh I'm sorry mom, but you won't believe who else is on the wine tour with us."

"Who?" Lorelai asked with excitement.

"Do you remember Francie Jarvis?"

"That mean girl from Chilton that was the leader of the secret organization called the Puffs who kidnapped you?"

"Yeh, that's the one. Well, she married Bowman, Tristan's best friend. His parents are close friends with his parents, and they joined us today.."

"Oh, take a picture and send it to me. I want to see what Francie looks like now, Is she fat?"

Rory laughed, "You're wicked! Okay, I will take some photos of all of us and send it to you."

"What do you think of Brignoles Vineyard?" her mother asked her.

"Good, I really like their Chardonnay, and I bought two bottles, " Rory told her mother as she looked out at the vineyard.

"Oh I love that vineyard, and we serve their wines here. Their Dry Rose is one of the popular wine's that we serve, " Lorelai said.

"Oh, yes I tasted it, and I really liked the wine. Would you like me to get some for you?" Rory asked her mother.

"Yes please, could you bring me back a case? We ran out and its very popular. Since I got back, I haven't had time to call my supplier. It is on my to do list for this week."

"Sure I will go and do it now. I'll call you back in a little bit."

Rory hung up her phone and went back inside. She saw the tasting room manager stocking the wine on some tall racks. "Hi, Brian? I'm Rory Gilmore, my mother, Lorelai Gilmore- Danes runs the Dragonfly Inn."

"Oh I know Lorelai, Sookie, and Michel, they are one of our good customers. So you are Rory, Lorelai talks a lot about you. It is delightful to meet you, I have heard all about you, so how can I help you today?"

"I just got off the phone with mom she would like a case of your Dry Rose."

"Does she want a mixed case?"

"Umm yeah, why don't we do that. I liked all of them, but my favorite was the Vin Rose. My mom said that your wine is very popular, and she hasn't had time to get in touch with you. "

"Didn't she go away for a month?"

"Yes on her honeymoon, they just got back about a week ago."

"Let me go and fill that order for you."

He quickly got a box and filled it with four bottles of the Vin Rose, four bottles of the Salmon Brook Dry Rose and four bottles of the Monarch."

She gave him her credit card, and he gave her the discount that he gives Lorelai.

"Rory do me a favor and tell Sookie that the Ice Wine she likes will be ready next month."

"I will, and thanks, Brian."

She went to get the box of wine, and Brian said, "No let me take it to your car."

Tristan was outside talking to Bowman and Francie when he saw Rory coming out with Brian with another case of wine.

"Mare, what's this?"

"Wine for my mother. She called and wanted some Rose. Brian, this is my boyfriend, Dr. Tristan Dugray. Brian is the tasting room manager here."

Tristan helped Brian put the box of wine in the trunk of the car and then shook Brian's hand.

"It's nice to meet you. You have a beautiful winery," Tristan told him.

"Thank you. I hoped you enjoyed your tasting. If you ever need more wine, let me know. The Dragonfly Inn is one of our best customers. Thanks for stopping by and it was nice to finally meet you, Rory."

"It was nice meeting you too, Brian."

"Looks like Rory makes friends with the men fast," Francie said sarcastically to her mother in law. Gwen was standing beside her and gave her a dirty look.

Tristan helped Rory, and his mother climb back into the car, once everyone was inside the driver drove them to the Connecticut Valley Winery. After tasting the ten wine at this winery, Rory was very relaxed. She and Gwen sat next to each other and began to talk.

Jackson watched them for a while and wanting to get to know her better he asked, "Rory, Tristan mentioned that you are doing research today for an article?"

Tristan had his fingers interlaced with hers, and she smiled and said, "Yes, I am working with my friend Jess Mariano and his publishing company, Truncheon books."

"Jess Mariano, why does that name sound familiar?"

"Have you ever read the Subsect?" she asked him. " He is the author and also wrote two other books that followed that one. "

"Yes, I have. Tristan, didn't I lend you my copy of that book?"

"Yes, I still have it. It's on my bookshelf," Tristan said gently rubbing his thumb across the back of Rory's hand.

"How do you know him? You said he was your friend," Jackson asked her.

"Oh, Jess and I have been friends since we were kids. He lived in Stars Hollow when we were in high school."

"Did he go to Chilton?" Jackson asked her.

"No, he went to school at Stars Hollow High. Tristan also knows him. He is dating a close friend of ours, Paris Gellar," Rory said.

"Oh yes, I remember Paris. Quite an uptight young girl. She is a doctor now, isn't she son?"

"Yes, she is a good surgeon and works at Hartford General with me."

"Stars Hollow…. Rory you said you grew up there, and you told us that your mother owns an Inn there. Tristan, didn't you take my car over there a few times when you were in high school? I think I remember you told me that you needed to take the car to see a girl you liked that lived there and had to practice for a play. I think that was Romeo and Juliet. " Jackson looked at Rory and said, " Wait was Rory, that girl you liked back then?"

Rory turned and looked at him and raised her eyebrow and watched as her handsome doctor started to blush.

"Umm, Dad aren't we close to the next winery?" Tristan said trying to change the subject.

"You liked me ? You actually liked me! You used to tease and torture me. You had an odd way of showing me that you liked me, Mister," she teased him.

"Hey what can I say? I kissed you but you ran away remember?" he teased back.

"But I'm not running now," she said putting her face close to him.

The driver pulled into the Connecticut Valley Winery and parked the car. Gwen and Jackson were laughing at Rory and Tristan. Rory continued to giggle as they got out of the car.

"Your just lucky we aren't alone, then we would see how fast you run from me," he tells her picking her up by the waist and twirling her around.

"Put me down, you brute," she giggled. Tristan slowly let her slide down the front of him so that she could feel how excited she made him. She looked into his dark blue eyes and kissed him.

Bowan walked over to them and smiled. "It's good to see you like this man," He said and slapped Tristan on his shoulder. Rory was still giggling when Tristan took Rory by the hand, and the three of them walked into the winery.

"I think your son has found his match," Chandler said to Jackson.

"Yes, I think so too. Now if Rory could only get Tristan to settle down and have a family. I know that Gwen really would like to be a grandmother someday. Did you know that they went to Chilton together?"

"Yea, Francie was prattling about her in the car. Said her name was Rory Gilmore, is she related to Emily and Richard?" Chandler asked as they began to walk into the winery.

"Yes, and also Francine and Straub Hayden's. She's their granddaughter too, do you remember Christopher Hayden? It's his oldest daughter," Jackson told Chandler.

"What does she do? I assume she works," Chandler said to him.

"Journalist," Jack stopped talking because they were close to the group that gathered at the tasting bar.

Jackson walked up behind his wife and gave her a kiss. She turned and smiled at him and said, "Jack, this time, Rory and I will split the tasting, and you and Tristan will split a tasting, and then we will compare choices."

Rory was standing beside Gwen again, and Tristan was on her other side.

"That sounds like a good plan. What do you think, Dad? Should we make it a contest?" Tristan asked his father glaring at Rory.

"I think we should rank them like they do for the judging events where they received the medals," Jack smirking at his wife. "Let's see which one of us can give the score that was close to what they got their medal for."

"You're on," Rory said laughing enjoying herself. Rory really liked the Dugrays and Bowman. They were not uptight, and she found it was easy to talk to both Gwen and Marjorie.

The owner Anthony Ferraro was behind the bar today doing the tasting and heard the challenge that Jack gave the girls. He flirted with both Gwen and Rory giving them extra tastes of the wine and hints on the score of the wines. When Rory tasted the Chianti, she moaned. Tris started to laugh and put his arm around her waist.

"Oh my god Tris, this wine is amazing. It reminds me of the wine I had in Italy. Mr. Ferraro, this wine taste like Italy. My mom owns an inn, and they would love to serve this wine there. Could I get half of the case of this?"

"Sure we sell a lot of our wines to the local inns in this area. What inn are you talking about?"

"The Dragonfly in Stars Hollow, my mom is Lorelai Gilmore."

"Of course, Judith come over here. This is Lorelai Gilmore's daughter." Mr. Ferraro called over to his wife who was behind the cash register.

His wife came over and smiled. "Your Lorelai's daughter, the journalist?"

"Yes, how do you know about me?"

"Oh, Lorelai and Sookie come here often and purchase the wine for their inn. Sookie loves the Black Bear Port. I think she makes a dessert with it."

"Well, then we better taste that port," Gwen said with a smile.

Tristan and Jack smiled as they watched the Ferraro's talk to Rory and Gwen. Rory and Gwen walked with Judith as she got the wine ready for them. Marjorie and Francie were standing next to Chandler, Andy, Tristan, and Jack.

"Looks like your mom and Rory are hitting it off Tristan," Andy said to him.

"Yeah it does," Tristan responded smiling at them.

Tristan walked up behind Rory and kissed her cheek. "Mare, I am buying us some of the Chianti and a couple of Cabernet Franc."

She kissed him on the lips and said, "Okay."

He licked her lips and said, "Mmm is that the port? I think I may get a bottle of that too. I love the way it tastes on you."

"Dirty," she whispered in his ear.

"Exactly my thoughts, Mare." He walked away laughing and picked up two bottles of the Black Bear Port. to go with his Chianti and Cabernet Franc.

Tristan paid for his six bottles, and then Jackson came up and ordered a case of wine for himself. The Bowman's also bought two cases of wine that they were splitting with Andy and Francie.

Francie walked up beside Gwen and Marjorie and watched as Tristan was kissing Rory.

"Gwen, how long has Tristan been dating Rory?" Francie asked Gwen

"About a month, I guess." Gwen answered looking at Francie, "Why?"

"Oh, then it's not serious. " Francie said to herself but loud enough for Gwen to here.

"Why would you say that Francine?" Marjorie asked her daughter in law.

"Well, everyone knows that Tristan is a flirt and goes through a different woman every three or four dates. He is not the type to settle down."

"I am pretty sure it's different this time, Francie. This is the first girl that Tristan has brought home to meet us," Gwen said smiling.

"Then it is serious," Marjorie replied to both Gwen and Francie, "Once a son brings a girl home to meet his mother it means he is thinking of sticking around. Tell me has he met her parents yet?"

"Yes, they went yesterday morning to Stars Hollow and had breakfast with them," Gwen told them.

"Well then it is serious," Marjorie said with a grin, and she linked her arm in Gwen's and walked out of the winery away from Francie


	21. Chapter 20 Searching

**Chapter 20 Searching**

While Rory was with Tristan on the wine tour, Logan was just getting out of his bed at his father's home. It was one pm and he had a terrible hangover. The house was quiet since his father left to go to the office and his mother, Honor, and Odette left early that morning to go shopping in the city for her wedding dress.

Logan grabbed some Tylenol and a bottle of water. After dinner, last night, Logan and Colin returned to Colin's place where they found Finn and Robert talking. Logan and Colin were drunk and wanted to party so Colin called some girls and they continued to drink until Finn put Logan and the girls in a cab to take them home.

Logan reaches for his phone and calls Finn. knowing that he and Robert stayed with Colin last night.. Finn's phone rings and he knocks it on the floor hoping that it would stop. When Robert steps out of the shower, he hears the phone ringing. He quickly puts on his sweat pants and pounds on the door where Finn is sleeping.

"Finn, get up! Your phone is going off you Oocker."

"Bloody hell, who would be callin' me in the middle of the day."

The phone rang again, and Finn swore as he picked up his phone.

"What?" he yelled into the phone and put his hand over his eyes. He felt the room spinning. He hadn't been this drunk since he was in Yale ten years ago. He has to stop hanging around with Logan and Robert.

"Hey are you up?"

"Can't be bothered!" Finn answered.

"Well get up. I will be there in thirty minutes and we are taking a road trip to Stars Hollow."

"Mate when are you going to realize that she has gone on a walkabout. Give it up and make a life with Odette."

Logan mumbled something into the phone.

Finn sat up at this point holding his head. "You're daft! You know it don't you!"

"Finn I don't want to talk about it, I will be there in thirty minutes."

Finn shut off his phone and shouted "AGGGH!" He walked out of the bedroom and went into the bathroom. Robert heard the water running and walked to the main house to the kitchen. The boys were in the guest house just off the pool. Colin was already up drinking his third cup of coffee and eating avocado toast that the cook had made him. His father and his latest secretary had left to play tennis at the indoor tennis court at the West Hartford Tennis Club.

"Where's Finn?"

"In the shower. I gather you didn't hear him scream when Logan called."

"No, I didn't, " chuckled Colin, "Last night I told Logan to call Finn with his plans for today. I'm surprised that Logan actually remembered the way you three were drinking. Robert didn't Finn cut down on his drinking since he started modeling and acting."

"He has, but Logan was driving him nuts. So we started playing a game whenever Logan complained about Odette, his father or mentioned Rory ,last night, we would take a shot. Do you have any pain medication?" Robert asked him.

"Here take two of these extra strength Tylenol. It should help and make yourself and Finn a Bloody Mary. I will have the cook make you something for your hangover. "

Robert spoke to the cook in Spanish and soon she made Robert scrambled eggs. She handed him a bottle of coconut water and a plate with the scrambled eggs and toast with honey. After he drank the water he was able to eat the eggs and felt better. Finn came in with dark glasses on.

"Colin, mate what the bloody hell are we doing here in Hartford? Rory is gone and it's better for Logan to forget about her. " Colin and Robert looked at Finn, they both agreed but it was hard to say no to Logan when he was like this.

Colin spoke to the cook again and soon a plate of eggs with toast and honey was in front of him. Robert handed him the bottle of Tylenol and coconut water. "Drink and eat, you will feel better."

Finn drank the bottle of coconut water quickly and took four Tylenol. He ate his eggs and soon he was able to function without feeling dizzy.

They heard the horn blast from the driveway. Finn grabbed his winter coat and put the sunnies on his eyes and walked out. He glared at Logan and crawled into the back of the Lincoln Navigator that Logan was driving and closed his eyes. Colin sat in the front seat and Robert sat in the seat in the second row.

"What's the plan, Logan?" Colin asked him.

"We are going to go to Stars Hollow,"

When they got back to the car, Gwen went to the cooler that was in the back and pulled out four water bottles. She began to pass them around to Rory, Tristan, Jack and herself as they all sat in the car. The driver started the car and Rory leaned on Tristan's shoulder and said, "I could go for a big bowl of pasta right now."

"Sorry Rory, but there aren't any Italian restaurants around here but maybe when we go back home I will have the cook make some for dinner," Jackson said, "However, we are going to stop for lunch now and I made reservations for us at the Salt Water Grill, I think you will enjoy the food there."

Twenty minutes later the driver pulled up into the parking lot of the Salt Water Grill. and the people got out of the two cars. As they entered, Rory saw the ladies room and went there right away. Gwen joined her and soon Marj and Francie came in too.

"Rory you said you lived in London, but you didn't say what you did there?" Francie said as she stood next to her at the sink as they washed their hands.

"Oh I was a freelance journalist. I would travel and go where the stories took me," Rory replied as they walked out of the bathroom talking.

"Sounds romantic, why did you come home?" Francie asked her.

"It wasn't as romantic as it sounds. I simply got tired of living out of a suitcase," Rory replied.

Gwen came up behind Rory and putting her arm around her shoulder asked, "Are you happy to be home now?".

Rory looked over at Tristan who was standing at the bar with his father. She smiled and said, "Yes, very happy."

The men were standing by the bar and Jackson turned to his son, "Look at them,Tris. Your mom and Rory seem to be hitting it off. I like her and obviously your mom approves so do us all a favor and don't screw this up."

"We are taking it slow, Dad. She was hurt deeply by Huntzberger."

Andy was standing next to Tristan and heard this.

"She dated a Huntzberger?"

"Yes, when she was in Yale. Why, do you know him?"

Chandler took a sip of his scotch and looked at Tristan.

"Only by reputation. He and his father don't get along. Mitchum and Shira never liked the girl Logan dated and they were happy when they broke it off and he became engaged to that French model. It seems that Mitchum is involved with the politics in a few different countries and he needs money. He made some let say, shady deals and he and the board of HPG have been fighting for the last two years. So to save his reputation, he arranged to have his son marry that heiress. Didn't Mitchum ask you to stop by today and look at the contract?"

Tristan looked at his father, "Did you know anything about that dad?"

"I did Chandler, Oscar and Mitchum both asked me to check the contract. His son, Colin isn't happy with the way it is worded. It is a strange contract a lot of clauses and even a prenup. But to answer your question son, no I didn't know anything about that. Rory is smart not to be involved with that family. It would cause her nothing but heartache. They are like sharks. I only went over today as a favor to McCrae."

"Dad, Andy, Chandler, please don't let anyone know that you know Rory Gilmore. Rory doesn't want anything to do with Logan anymore," Tristan said then left the group when he saw Rory walk into the bar area.

"How are you holding up? Having fun yet?"

"I am. Are you?" she asked him holding his hands and smiling up at him.

"I am."

Tristan leaned forward and kissed her on the side of her head. They followed the hostess to their table and Tristan held the chair for her.

"Well thank you kind sir, " she teased.

He took the seat to her left. Francie was sitting across from them while Gwen sat on her right.

The hostess brought water to the table and filled everyone's glass.

Jackson looked at Rory and said, "Gwen, Rory I see that they have Jordan's Chardonnay here, should we get a bottle for the table or does anyone else have a suggestion?"

"Let's order two bottles," Chandler suggested, " I enjoyed that wine myself."

"Good bring us two bottles of your 2012 Jordan Chardonnay," he told the waiter, "and also could you bring us two dozen of your shrimp and two dozen of your Oysters."

"Oysters, Jack really?" Gwen giggled and then kissed her husband.

Tristan looked at Rory and raised his eyebrows. He leaned back and put his arm on her shoulder.

Rory blushed and then said, "Tris, we should take a group picture."

"You know Rory that's not a bad idea," Jackson said.

He called the waitress over and she took a picture for them using three different phones, Jackson's, hers and Francie's. Rory drank some more water and began to feel the nice warm, relaxed feeling that one gets after drinking wine. She leaned back in her chair, her head resting on Tristan's arm and he leaned down and smiled at her.

"I like the relaxed Mare," he said.

"Thanks, this has been a great day. I needed this to remind me that I can have fun again."

"Mare, this is only the beginning, I promise you a lifetime of fun," he told her as he played with her hair.

The wine came and the waiter filled their glasses leaving the extra bottle on the table in a wine bucket. Not long after the appetizers came, Rory enjoyed her cup of the New England Clam Chowder, while the rest nibbled on the shrimp and oysters. Tristan picked up an oyster and sucked it off the shell, he looked at her and grinned.

"You know oysters are an aphrodisiac," Tristan whispered raising his eyebrow and smirking.

"I have heard that to be true. Too bad we can't do anything about it.?" she teased him.

"Mare, are you using my own words against me."

She started to laugh. "Do you really need the Oysters, Tris?"

"Not with you around." Tristan leaned in kissing her behind the ear and the back of her neck.

Rory immediately blushed and whispered, "Tris, not now, " when she noticed that Francie was giving her the stink eye. Tristan smiled and kissed her on the cheek. Francine was jealous and she watched Tristan and Rory. Playing with her wine glass Francie looked at her and said, "Rory, I'm surprised you never married, "

"Why?"

"I thought you had a boyfriend in high school. I just figured that you being from Stars Hollow you would immediately get married. Doesn't everyone do that where you were from?"

Rory laughed at her. "Not everyone, I did have a boyfriend in Stars Hollow, but we broke up when I went to Yale. Why?"

"Huh, I just figured you would have gotten married by now., " Francie said.

"I guess I never found the right man, "she replied and took a sip of her wine.

"Until now," Tristan whispered in her ear.

Rory blushed again and put her hand on his thigh and squeezed it. He captured her hand in his and held it.

"But don't you want children? You should have children before you get too old. We have four boys and they are my full-time job, our oldest, Chandler, is fourteen almost fifteen, then we have twins, Randy and Rick, they're twelve, and then surprise, Marcus he's six. "

"Oh wow, you have been busy."

Rory pressed her lips together and looked at Tristan suppressing a laugh.

The waitress brought their food and soon everyone was eating and talking. As they left the restaurant, Jackson was standing beside his son watching his wife and Rory talk as they walked into the ladies room.

"Tris, my advice to you, is hold on tight and don't let this one get away."

"I don't plan on letting her go this time, Dad. I left her once, I'm not going to do that again."

They walked over to the ladies as they came out of the bathroom. Tristan put his arm around her waist and guided her out to the parking lot. They all stood in the parking lot talking.

"This was fun, we should get together again sometime, " Francie said to Tristan and Rory. She gave Tristan a hug and a kiss and then went over to Rory. "We should do lunch soon."

"Oh, well yes, we should, " Rory replied and looked over at Tristan who was trying to suppress a chuckle.

Bowman stood next to Tristan and looked at Rory.

"Man, she is quite the babe. I don't know how you do it."

"Do what?" he asked him

"Well you have so many…" but before Bowman could say anything more Tristan glared and said seriously, "It's not like that with her."

"Shit, you are serious about her, " Bowman said looking at Tristan.

Bowman slapped Tristan on the back and said, "Congratulations man. It's about time you settled down. She's smart and independent Tris, just your type. If I remember you had a thing for her back in high school."

Tristan grinned and then slapped Bowman on the shoulder. Rory and Francie walked over to where the men were talking.

"Okay, I will see you later, Andy. Take care," Tristan said and turned to Rory, "Are you ready Mare?".

They walked over to the town car and they go in. The driver backed out of the parking lot to continue their visit of the next three wineries before returning to Hartford. Sitting in the car, Rory took out her phone and sent a message to Finn and her mother. Rory and Finn always used a secret code name and she always sent her text to him as LLH. They did this in case Logan ever got his phone by mistake.

 _ **LLH - Finnie sorry I couldn't call. I'm out of town. Call me tomorrow. LLH**_

 _ **Rory - Mom got you a couple of cases of wine. See photo attached. R**_

At the next winery, while the women were in the bathroom, Jackson called the cook and requested that the cook, Antoinette, make spaghetti and meatballs for dinner tonight with garlic bread, salad and have the Italian bakery in Hartford, deliver a Tiramisu cake.

They went to three more wineries before they returned at the Dugrays home at five pm, with six cases of wine. They sat and enjoyed a delicious meal together before Tristan and Rory left.

Logan pulled into Stars Hollow with Robert, Colin, and Finn at two pm and stopped at the light in front of the diner. The town was bustling with people on this sunny Saturday in November.

"Where are you going first?" Colin asked Logan sitting next to him in the front seat of the car.

"I figured we will head to the house first to see if her mom is there. From there we can stop here at the diner and last resort at the Inn. Someone should be able to tell us where she is," Logan told them.

"Mate, I told you before. You are not going to get any answers here. You're chasing your tail, " Finn grumbled from the back seat looking out the window at the familiar sites.

"I agree with Finn, Logan, you can't find someone who doesn't want to be found. " Robert replied.

Logan pulled up in front of the Crap Shack and parked the car, "Come on, we won't know until we knock at the door. Colin why don't you go and knock on the back door."

The four men stepped out of the car. Colin went and walked to the back of the house, and Robert and Logan went to the front door. Finn stood at the car and leaned against it, wondering if he should text Rory and let her know that Logan was at her mother's home. He had his phone in his hand ready to write the message when he heard a voice.

"Can I help you," Babette screams from her kitchen window. Finn looks up from his phone and grins when he recognized the voice from one of the ladies he saw in the diner. Logan walks off the porch and goes over to the side yard towards the sound.

"Uh yeah. My names Logan and I'm looking for Rory. Have you seen her by chance?"

"Hey, I remember you, MORIE... It's THE HUNTZBERGER KID! I'm going in!"

Babette scurries out her front door hobbling toward them to get a good look at the man that broke their town princess's heart.

Finn folds his arms across his chest, and his eyes are twinkling behind his sunnies as a grin goes across his face when he hears Babette ask Logan, "So what do you want with our girl?"

Logan always knew that Stars Hollow as a small town ,felt protective of Rory, but he never thought that they would ever feel hostile towards him.

"Do you know where she is? Or her mother?" he asked her politely.

"That doesn't answer my question suga', but I'll let you have it because of your entourage. Last I saw her was at her mom's wedding. That girl still got the gams. You know a girl like that won't stay single for long. Has a whole line of guys knocking at her door if you know what I mean. Oh god and those eyes... have you ever seen a girl with those eyes, God was good to her to give her those gorgeous eyes. She will never have to worry about a lack in the male department, or female department eitha', knowing you kids that's becoming all the rage nowadays according to Tilly, but you didn't hear it from me. Hey Morie, after the wedding do you remember who Rory left with?"

"Last I saw her she was dancing with Luke's nephew, Jess."

"Ya, that's right. She probably went with Jess. Imagine all this time, he being a famous author and she a writer, they finally get together. They have been pining for each other since she graduated from Yale... Ya' know, you look familiar…. have I seen you before?" Babette asked taking a pause and trying to get a good look at Robert.

"No, No I don't think so," Robert responded and put his sunglasses back on his face.

"Well, you look familiar and so does that tall hunk of a man standing by the car. I swear I saw you two before here in Stars Hollow. I never forget a tall drink of wata'." Babette smiled at Finn and winked. Finn chuckled and nodded his head at her. Logan looked over at his friends and then tried to refocus Babette on his question.

"Thank you for your help. Do you know if Lorelai is around today? Maybe in town or at the Inn?"

"Morie, is Lorelai at the Inn today?"

"What day is it?" Morie yelled from the window.

"Saturday," Babette yelled back, "Poor Morie has trouble remembering dates now that he is retired and no longer working at the clubs in New York. You know we had quite the show back in the day. He would play the piano, and I would sing with him. That's how we met. It was love at first sight."

"Babe, she usually goes to Luke's for lunch then the Inn, but I don't know , I think I saw her leave early today in her jeep," Morie said to Babette.

"Yea that's right, she did leave in her jeep. I remember she waved at me. You know they haven't been home very long. They took four weeks for a honeymoon in Fiji. Have you ever been to Fiji?"

Logan looked at his friends and then said, "Well thank you. We will go to the diner she might be there having lunch."

"Do you want me to give her a message when I see her? I am sure she would want to talk to you. I mean after all this time you come back looking for Rory, after you broke her heart it's the least you can do is apologize to her motha'," Babette said glaring at Logan.

"Yes please tell Lorelai I stopped by."

"Oh, you bet I will."

The men quickly got into the car and headed for the diner, as Babette watched them go. She immediately went inside her home to call Miss Patty to let her know that Rory's boyfriend was in town looking for her.

Logan parked in a spot across the street from the diner, and the four men got out. They crossed the street and heard someone yell, "Hey you, Yes I am talking to you. There is a crossing walk. We don't Jaywalk here in Stars Hollow. I will have to find the local police, and have you arrested for Jaywalking," Taylor yelled from the door of his candy store.

Colin walked over to him and said, "Hello, I am Colin McCrae Esq. from the law office of Hayden and McCrae in Hartford, now my good man is there a problem? Because you see we are looking for a missing person. Do you recognize this young woman? You see my best friend is heartbroken since she has gone missing. It is his girlfriend, and the last place she was seen was here in Stars Hollow." Colin showed him a picture of Rory taken when they were together in New Hampshire.

"Well that's Rory, she's been kidnapped? Oh my goodness, I better go and find Lorelai she must be beside herself with grief." Taylor went running inside his store to look up the Inn's phone number to find Lorelai. Logan looked at Colin and shook his head.

"Why did you do that?"

"I figured you wanted to find Rory, what easier way than ask this old busybody."

Robert and Finn started laughing as they walked into the diner.

The four men found a table immediately and sat down. The diner was not as busy as it was earlier when they drove through. They each grabbed a menu and Finn looked up at the special board. He noticed that today's special was a Rory Burger.

"Welcome to Luke's Diner, May I take your order?" Kirk asked the four men who sat at a table in front of the window.

"Yeah Mate, can you tell me what is in your Rory Burger?"

"Oh yes, it is one of our most popular burgers made especially for Stars Hollow's Rory Gilmore, our very own foreign correspondent. You can read one of her articles on the back of our menu."

Logan turned the menu over and looked at it. It was her article from the Atlantic Journal. He smiled as he reread it. He remembered the day that it was printed and how they celebrated that night in London. He took her on the London Eye at night where he held her in his arms kissing her as they looked out over the city talking about their plans and dreams together. That night was so magical, and he was so happy that they were back together again. He wished that he could have it all again, and that she was back in his life.

"A "Rory Gilmore" is two beef patties, double cheddar cheese, ketchup, lettuce, tomatoes, and of course the secret sauce," continued Kirk.

"What's the secret sauce, mate?"

"I can't tell you because it wouldn't be a secret if I told you." Kirk responded.

"Does it come with chips?" Finn asked him.

"No it comes with fries," Kirk said.

"That's what I just asked you. I asked you if it comes with chips."

"No it comes with fries," Kirk repeated himself. This got Robert and Colin to chuckle.

"Fine I want the Rory burger and a coke," Finn responded. Finn loved to confused people using the terms from Australia when he was at a restaurant especially if the waiter had no idea what he was talking about.

"Please bring me extra sauce for my chips too, Mate," Finn told Kirk.

"How about you," Kirk said looking at Robert.

"I'll have the special with a Coke," Robert responded.

Logan quickly flipped the menu over and said, "I'll have the Monte Cristo, with coffee," Logan told Kirk.

"Really you want the Monte Cristo? No one has ever ordered the Monte Cristo before," Kirk answered in surprise.

"Why isn't it any good?"

"I don't know, it's just something Lorelai and Rory convinced Luke to put on the menu one day."

"Hello there, don't I know you?" Miss Patty said walking over to the table where the men were sitting, and Kirk was taking the order.

"Kirk what are you doing? Are you bothering these men?" she asked him.

"I'm taking their order," Kirk said.

"Does Luke know you are doing this?"

"Well….no but he would want me to help if they got busy since he isn't here. You know I have experience. I owned my own outdoor diner called. Kirks."

"Go get Lane, Kirk so she can take their order. Now how can I help you handsome men today? I am sure you all look familiar."

"Well, Kirk was explaining about the Monte Cristo and said no one orders it," Logan said with a grin.

"Oh that, well our little Rory was going through her French Adventure novels stage, I think she was thirteen. Oh how she loved books and would come in here and read and discuss them with anyone who would listen to her. Anyway, she told Luke that they should have a sandwich on the menu called the Monte Cristo, after the Count of Monte Cristo; since there was a candy bar named the Three Musketeers which was another book written by the same author. You know who I mean since you look so Ivy league and all."

"Alexandre Dumas," Finn replied. Logan, Robert and Colin looked at him in surprise.

"What, didn't you mates read that book? It was required reading," Finn replies since he was an avid reader like Rory, another thing that the two of them had in common..

"That does sound like Reporter girl," Colin whispered to Logan.

"Yes, I was right about you," Miss Patty purred at Finn, "You are an Ivy League man. So handsome, so debonair, so mysterious, so exotic."

"You were telling us about the sandwich?" Logan said glaring at Finn who now took off his sunnies and put them on the top of his head.

"Well Luke, he just could not deny that girl anything; actually no one could deny her anything. She had those eyes, and she was so sweet and innocent, well until she went to Yale and some cad broke her heart! Too bad she didn't meet someone like you, Mr. Exotic. I could eat you right up."

Miss Patty leaned over and pinched Finn's cheeks. Finn turned a bright shade of red as Logan glared at him.

"It does sound like Ace," Logan replied.

"Ace? You know our Rory? That's what her boyfriend would call her. Wait I do know you. You are the Lothario that broke that poor girl's heart. I should wring your neck. The last time I saw her she was crying, I think you better leave and not come back to Stars Hollow ever again," Miss Patty said walking over to the door and holding it open.

"Wait, no I love Rory, and I am here looking for her to apologize. I was stupid, and I need to talk to her."

Just then Lane came out of the backroom and saw Miss Patty standing by the open door speaking loudly to four of the patrons in the diner. Kirk was standing quietly beside the counter with a pad of paper in his hand looking shocked.

"What's going on here, Kirk? Luke left me in charge. Are you harassing the customer?"

"Well, I thought I would help and take their orders. They are looking for Rory."

Lane walked over to the table and looked at Logan, Robert, Colin, and Finn. She recognized Logan immediately and said, "Can I help you?"

"Your Rory's friend Lane, do you remember me? I am Rory's boyfriend. I need to find her so I can apologize."

"Oh, I bet you do. Well, she's gone, moved away….far, far away. She doesn't need you or your friends. I think you better leave now."

Just then Zac came into the diner and saw Lane yelling at the customers.

"Lane, is there a problem here?"

"Yes, these men are looking for Rory."

"She's not here," Zac repeated crossing his arms and glaring at them.

"Yes we know that, but I need to find her. Do you know where she or where Lorelai are?" Logan asked again

"Why do you need to talk to Rory? Haven't you done enough?" Zac said very angrily at Logan.

"Wait… what do you mean?"

Lane glared at Zac and shook her head then she turned to the men and said: " I think you better leave, Logan, and take your friends with you.." Miss Patty stood holding the door open and glared at them.

Lane turned and quickly walked away and stood behind the counter. The four men stood up and began to walked out of the diner. Before Logan left the diner he turned to Lane and said, "Please I love her. If she calls tell her I am looking for her."

The four men got into the car and headed out of Stars Hollow.

After leaving his parent's home, Tristan brought Rory back to his apartment. They walked in and he started the fire in the fireplace, and they sat on his loveseat kissing.

He looked at her face and trailed his fingers down her cheek then he loosened her hair taking out the hairpins that she used to keep the front of her hair back away from her face. He threaded his fingers through the braid and let it come loose.

"That's better," he told her as her hair fell around her face. He then took a piece and tucked it behind her ear.

"Come here, I told you last night that when we danced I would have music for us to dance too. Tristan stood up and hit the remote that he had for his stereo. The room filled with music and she heard the soft voices of the group **Lady Antebellum** as they began to sing the song **Home**

"Oh I love this song," Rory said. Tristan pulled her in his arms, and she put her arms around his neck. They began to sway back and forth to the music.

" _ **Took a million miles and wrong turns**_

 _ **just to find you  
And I guess I'm the guy **_

_**who you were waiting on me all along  
In a world gone crazy, I know it's hard to believe it  
But I know we're gonna make it,**_

 _ **'cause you're the song that's in my soul**_

Rory rested her head on his chest and let him sway her body round and round the room.

 _ **You feel like home  
You're the steady through whatever  
The shelter from the storm  
You feel like home  
You're the promise of forever  
The place where I belong  
You feel like home**_

She listened to the words as the music twirled like thread around them. _ **"**_ Home", was she really home this time? Dancing in his arms she felt safe. She wondered if this could it be her new home? Rory pulled him close to her and wondered if it was all that wine she had or was she falling in love with him. Were they really meant to be together? She thought about their first kiss and the many kisses they recently shared. Rory begins to hum the song in his ear. He stopped dancing and looked into her eyes and leaned down and kissed her. They began to dance again, and he sang the chorus to her their eyes locked.

" _ **You feel like home  
You're the steady through whatever  
The shelter from the storm  
You feel like home  
You're the promise of forever  
The place where I belong…."****_

He stopped dancing then walked over to a chair where he had a big fluffy blanket, picking it up he placed it on the floor in front of the fireplace. She stood there watching him.

"What are you doing?"

"Making a place in front of the fireplace so we can sit and talk," he said as he threw pillows on the floor. He got down on the floor and reclined propping himself on the pillows. He reached up and took her hand and pulled her next to him. She sat down crossing her legs next to him. He gazed at her and Rory saw the softness in his eyes, the same softness that she glimpsed at Louise's party sitting on the piano stool the day of their first kiss.. Rory felt his vulnerability, something she knew he guarded, but with her, he let her see it. She placed her hand on his cheek and tilted her head ready for him to kiss her.

She got on her knees and knelt closer to him and he said, " My parents like you. I told you they would."

She gave him a little smile. "They are nice. I had fun with them today. You know your father used to scare me."

He put her hand on the back of her head with his thumb on her chin. He gently pulled her towards his face leaning so that their lips would meet. He tenderly let his lips glide against hers.

She moved back and bit her lip. He let his thumb rub gently on her chin.

"He used to scare me too. He traveled a lot when I was younger. He was an attaché for the military and spent most of his time in Europe where he got his Law degree and practiced contract law.."

"That's why you spent time with your grandfather?"

"Yes and no, my mom couldn't handle me. I had an older sister and I was two when she died. She was only five years old and had been sick. After she died, my mom and dad fought a lot and he began to travel more. My mother was so sad, and she would give me whatever I wanted. Of course I was always an independent little guy and learned quickly to act out to get attention. So my grandparents stepped in to help when my father wasn't around."

"Oh Tris,"

"I think that's why I went into medicine and became a surgeon. Her appendix burst before they could operate."

"I'm sorry. That must have been hard."

"Well we all have something that we have to get through to make us stronger. Mine was my sister's death and acting out. I guess going to military school helped me though. I had to prove myself to my parents that I wasn't a loser."

She laid down stretching her body beside him and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Mare, what did you have to prove?"

"I guess, when I went to Chilton, I had to prove that I could get into Harvard, that I wasn't a quitter, I could be a journalist. My mother was never a quitter, and I wanted to be like my mother, strong, independent, successful."

They were holding hands and he was playing with her fingers, "You know if I had stayed at Chilton I would have been Valedictorian not you."

"No way. I would have beat you, hands down mister."

"You might have but I would never had let you. It's a good thing I left." He pulled her on top of him and said, "So tell me Mary, were you a Mary at Yale? You hinted earlier that you broke rules. Tel me one rule you broke?"

"No, I did things."

"Like what? Taking extra cereal out of the cafeteria in your coat pocket?" he teased. "Tell me the worst thing you ever did." Rory sat up and looked at him. Cocking her head to the side she said softly, "I stole a boat and took a sloth year at Yale."

"You stole a boat?"

"Well technically Logan and I stole a boat."

"Did you go to jail?"

"Yes, that was not one of my proudest moments." she said sitting up cross legged looking into the fire. Tristan sat up behind her and put his arms around her waist . She leaned her back on his chest.

"Huh, my Mary stole a boat. Never would have guessed you had it in you. I should have stayed around we could have been a regular Bonnie and Clyde."

"Yeah …right running from town to town hitting different banks, living on the lamb." She giggled when she thought about that.

"So what was your sentence."

"Community service."

"And Logan?"

"Daddy got him off of that."

"He didn't offer to help you out?"

"Well I didn't want him too, I did the crime I had to accept my punishment. My mom was disappointed in me and so I moved in with my grandparents, living in their pool house. I decided that I didn't want to go back to school."

"You took a half of a Sloth year from Yale? Now that surprises me, the girl who loves to study. Come on Mare, you're the only one I know who's notes were so organized and alphabetized. What was that about?"

"I was confused, I didn't know what I wanted to do, my sentence was community service, a lot of community service and my mom and I weren't talking, and so my grandparents were happy to have me move in with them. My dad wasn't around and so I moved into the redecorated pool house my grandmother did for me. Then my grandmother got me a job at the DAR, so I had to join the DAR. It was awful, I became one of those society women, serving on committees and planning parties. I missed my 21st birthday party with my mom, instead had an Emily Gilmore party. Have you ever had a Rory?"

He shook his head and raised his eyebrow at her, "What's that?"

"Don't! it's a terrible pink drink that Emily made for my birthday. This was worse than my sixteenth birthday party she threw for me or the "Yale Sausage Party" that she had for me and made me wear a Tiara! Remind me that if we ever have a party we will not let Emily Gilmore get near it."

He took off the scarf that was around her neck and moving her hair he began to kiss her neck. She arched her back and turned her head so that she could kiss him.

"I'm sorry I had to miss it. I would love to have seen you wear a tiara. Hmmm a Male Sausage Party. All men, you were the only girl. Damn, Rory Gilmore a rebel. Promise that you will break some rules with me sometime? You know, rules are made to be broken." He laid butterfly like kisses around her neck then licked the shell of her ear.

Rory shivered then looked up at him with her deep blue eyes and continued talking.

"Paris was so mad at me when I quit school. Then Jess came back to give me his book that was just published, he was so proud, but was furious that I was living in my grandparents' home. I was no longer living out in the pool house but inside the house in a pink bedroom with boy band posters hanging on the wall." Tristan started chuckling and pulled her close to him rubbing her back gently. " If it wasn't for Jess I would have never graduated from Yale. Jess was the one who convinced me that I was wasting my time living with my grandparents organizing parties."

"That's not you. Remind me to thank Jess when I see him," he whispered kissing her gently on the lips.

"No, it's not."

"So what happened with journalism? Are you rebelling now?"

"I'm not sure. I was on the campaign trail for Obama and when that ended I worked for small papers and began to write articles for different magazines and tried to have my stories published. Before I went to Hamburg, I had a few stories published one in the Atlantic Journal and one in the New Yorker. With those published articles other offers began to come in. I was on a roll and I received an assignment to write an important piece for Conde Nast. I went to a journalism conference to cover that for another paper and that's when I ran into Logan, he was one of the keynote speakers. Logan and I had dinner with each other, and we fell back into our old habit. I lost my focus and instead of completing the assignment for Condé Nast, I spent time working on stories with Logan. He got the bylines for the stories I wrote. He suggested that I pick up random stories so that I could be with him in London …. Soon my heart wasn't in it anymore. "

He sat there silently holding her in his arms as she stared into the fire remembering the last year with Logan. She had been sneaking about, living in a bubble and hiding her belongings in boxes in his closet so his family wouldn't find out about her.

"Logan made arrangements for me to write a memoir with a crazy English lady. The lady was nuts, and there was no story there. Jess sent me messages, but I never responded. Paris would call me, and I never called her back. I am surprise she still likes me. I was a horrible friend and I wasn't around when her marriage fell apart. My organized life that I always planned with Pro Con list fell apart, and I finally realized that I wasn't happy with the life I was living with Logan, so I came home in the spring, with my clothes in boxes and no place to live. I let the lease run out of my apartment in the city because I was never there, and I would crash at different friends' homes. Luckily Olivia and Louise, two close friends at Yale let me crash at their apartments . Do you know that the last piece that I wrote was called, "Why people stand in lines in Manhattan." I spent a whole day in Manhattan and stood in lines for Cronuts, sneakers and many other things. I even stood in line with people when there wasn't even a line, they were friends just hanging out talking. Then I stood in line with a Comic Con group and ended up sleeping with a Wookie!"

"What did you say? You slept with who?" Tristan started chuckling.

"Never mind,"

"Oh no Mare, you slept with who?" The smile was getting bigger on his face.

"A Wookie."

"Like the Star Wars Wookie? The actor?" Tristan tried not to laugh so that she could explain but the smile on his face just got bigger.

"Tris, this is embarrassing."

Tristan pulled her closer to him and kissed her again. Pushing her hair away from her face he tilted her chin up and said, "No, Mare. It's time for us to share all of our embarrassing moments."

Sighing she continued, "Okay, I was interviewing people who were standing in line for a comic con party. I stood in line with them asking them questions and we all went into the bar. They bought me drinks and soon we were talking, laughing, drinking shots and I was flirting with this tall guy in a Wookie costume. The next morning I was doing the walk of shame back to Olivia's apartment. Tristan, while I was walking back to Olivia's the next morning I realized that I had hit an all-time low. I slept with a total stranger, I was that girl."

She looked at him and said, "I guess I'm more of a Magdalin than a Mary, Tris."

Tristan's face lit up in a sexy grin.

"My Mary is a Magdalin now, I like that, " he teased her.

She hung her head in shame. "Trist I'm not like that. I don't sleep with just any guy. I mean Logan was the last man I slept with in a long time. There hasn't been that many, three in fact."

"Ror, we all have done things we regret."

"Oh really what have you done?"

"Many things, but the thing I regret the most was breaking into Bowman's father safe and missing the chance to kiss you like this."

He laid her down on the floor and repeated the lines from Romeo and Juliet and then he kissed her. She closed her eyes and kissed him back deeply opening her mouth and letting his tongue caress hers. Immediately she felt her body warm to his kisses. She reached up and pulled him closer arching her back to him. He began to kiss her neck and collarbone.

"Tell me to stop Mare," he whispered in her ear.

"Please," she whispered back.

"Mare, I want you and only you. I don't want to date anyone else and I don't want you to date anyone either."

Just then his phone rang. He ignored it and continued to kiss her. It went to his voicemail. The phone started to ring again. He stopped kissing her and looked up.

"Sorry Mare, I have to get this."

Picking up his phone he answered, "Dugray, Yes Ethan you are interrupting . Can't you get anyone else? Ross is called in too? Fire? How many victims. Okay, I will be there in fifteen minutes."

He sat up and looked at her. "I am sorry, this is the life of a surgeon. Maybe I shouldn't put you through this. This is why I never made a commitment with anyone before."

She put her hand on his face and felt the roughness of his beard. "Tris, I understand. Did I tell you how sexy you look with this on your face?" she asked him.

He smiled and kissed the palm of her hand. "Come on let me take you home."

He stood up and took her hand and pulled her into his arms. They kissed again, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he pulled her close to his waist rubbing their bodies against each other. He sighed and pulled her away.

"I am on duty tomorrow and I don't know how long I will be at the hospital. I will probably spend the night there. I will call or send you a text later. Oh I don't want to leave you," he whispered in her ear as he gently kissed her neck.

She turned her head and kissed him back not wanting to leave him either. She was ready to tell him that she wanted to be exclusive with him, when the phone rang again. He quickly barked into the phone, "I am leaving now." He then hung up.

They took the elevator down to the garage and he opened the garage door. Rory looked up to the dark sky and inhaled. She smelt snow. She walked out to the middle of the driveway and looked up and stood there twirling around.

"What are you doing?"

"I smell snow."

"You smell snow. Okay, I'll bite. You can smell snow?" he asked walking out of his garage.

"It's a gift. Trish something magical always happens when it snows."

He came over to her and pulled her into his arms. " You said that last night. Really and what magical thing will happen?"

"Us."

She kissed him deeply and then she said, "Tris you make me feel like home. This could be what I am looking for. A home, here in Hartford."

"I know, you make me feel that way too. So what are you saying."

"I want to try, Us. We never had our chance before, and I think, no, I know that there is something here."

With a half-smile Tristan wrapped his arms around Rory picking her up and twirling her around. He put her on the ground and took his hand and gently cupped her face.

"Mare, I agree, there is something special about the first snow."

They kissed again as the snow began to fall around them neither of them feeling the change in temperature. He finally felt his pager go off.

"I have to go. Come on." They got into his car and he touched the call button on his steering wheel. "This is Dugray, I'm on my way. okay, tell Dr. Romero I will be there to assist, ETA twenty minutes.

He pulled up in front of the Hayden's home and walked her to the front door.

"I'll call you later," he told her and put his forehead to hers and touched her chin with his fingers.

She gently kissed his lips, "Okay. I'll talk to you later. Go save some lives."

Tristan winked at her and turned and walked back to his car.

She walked into the house and saw her father sitting in the living room reading a book.

"Hey, Kiddo, I didn't expect you home this early. Did you have a nice time."

"I did, Where's Gigi?"

"I let her spend the night with Samantha Chandler. I saw your mom and Luke today. They stopped by the hospital to see Grandma."

"That's nice. How is grandma doing?"

They sat there talking about her grandmother's condition and she told him about her trip to the different wineries that they went too.

"Oh, I left the wine that I bought for mom and for us in the car. Tristan is on the way to the hospital."

"Can you get it tomorrow?" he asked her. 

"Yes I will send him a text." As she was sending Tristan a text she noticed that she had a message from Finn that came earlier today. She opened it and read it.

 _ **E O - Love, he insisted on going to Stars Hollow today, luckily your mother wasn't there. I will continue to try to dissuade him from finding you.**_ _**E O**_


	22. Chapter 21 Watching Over Your Friends

Chapter 21 Watching Out for Your Friends.

Logan pulled up at Colin's home, and the four men walked into the guest house. Colin walks to his desk and pulls out a folder with takeout menus.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm starved. What type of food do you want? We have Peruvian, Thai, Chinese, Mexican, Italian, Japanese or American, " Colin said handing the folder to Robert as he carried over the bottle of scotch and glasses to the table for them.

"None, for me mate. I'll take club soda and lime if you have it." Finn said as he started to type a message to Rory.

"You're not drinking, Finn?" Logan asked as he poured himself a drink.

"No Mate, last night was enough for me. I'm fine with my club soda and lime." Finn quickly finished typing to Rory and put the phone away.

"Got a new girl, Finn? Seems like you have been checking your phone quite a bit today," Logan asked.

"Just a Shelia I know from the show I was on. We plan on connecting if I make it to the west coast. What has everyone decided on to eat?" Finn responded.

"This Peruvian restaurant sounds good," Robert said as he passed around the menu.

"Perfect mate, let's get a variety. Colin, you order, and Robert and I will go and pick it up."

Colin tapped the number into his phone for the restaurant on New Britain Ave. and placed an order.

"Hello, I would like to place an order for pickup, Yes the name is McCrae, Yes, we would like, Bisteck a Lo Pobre (Grilled steak served with white rice, French fries, fried sweet plantain, egg, and regular salad. ), Chaufa de Pollo -(Chicken strips mixed with fried rice, egg, scallion, and soy sauce), Pescado Entero Frito Pargo Rojo -(Whole fried fish, red snapper, served with white rice, fried yucca, and red onion salad), Camarones al Ajo- (Shrimp with garlic sauce, served with white rice and boiled potato or fried yucca) and 4 orders of Sustancia de Carne ( Beef soup with noodles). Okay, thank you see you then.

"Okay, Finn and Robert why don't you go and pick it up and stop by the liquor store and pick up us another bottle of scotch and whatever you want to drink," Logan said.

Finn and Robert got into Finn's car and they headed towards New Britain Ave.

"I know you aren't sending messages to some actress. What's going on Finn?" Robert asked him as they drove to the NBA Liquor Store that was down the street from the restaurant.

"I promised I wouldn't say," Finn replied turning on the radio to avoid answering any more questions. Robert quickly turned it off and looked at Finn.

"It's Reporter Girl, isn't it and you have her number. Is she okay?"

"Yes I saw her, and she's fine. I met her new boyfriend too," he responded sadly.

"Listen, Finn, I know you and Rory were close, and it would hurt you to see her back with Logan." Finn didn't say anything but stared out the window as he drove on the road.

Finally, Finn spoke, "Robert he needs to let her go. This chasing and looking for her is only making it worse. He agreed to his father's terms even though we advised him not to. He already hurt the only woman he ever loved but think about how he is hurting himself. Look at all the drinking he is doing. He is going to drink himself to death if he doesn't stop soon."

"Finn, when has Logan ever let things go. He's like a dog with a bone; I don't think he can. I agree he's drinking way too much. Do you think you're protecting him by not letting him know that you spoke to Rory?"

Finn pulled into the parking lot of the NBA liquor store and stopped the car. He turned to Robert and said, " Look, Mate, she's happy. Logan needs to move on. He chose to marry that French Heiress that Daddy picked out for him. Tell me why we are here? We said goodbye to her and yet he continues to drag us along buying him booze. Think about it… we are enabling him by being here, buying him more scotch, this is not going to help."

"You're right, what should we do?" Robert asked as they sat in the car.

"Call Colin and tell him we are going to get the food. Tonight is a "just say no" kinda night, it's just what Logan needs. He won't be our biggest fans, but he will be thankful later in life. Fill him with food and coffee and put him to bed. He can stay in the room I am in, and I will spend the night on the couch," Finn replied.

"Okay, let's try that." Robert picked up his phone and called Colin.

"Colin, this is Robert."

"Hey, Robert is there a problem with the order?" Colin asked.

"No, Finn and I were talking, and we feel that Logan's drinking has become a problem. So we will bring back sodas instead."

Colin looked over at Logan who was on his fifth glass of scotch since the guys left fifteen minutes ago.

"I agree. Get the food and something to drink, and we will see you soon." Colin hung up the phone and Logan looked at him.

"Who was that?" Logan asked him.

"Finn and Robert, they will be here soon. They are waiting for the food now."

"Good I hope they remember to stop at NBA Liquor Store because we are almost out of scotch, buddy. Hey, can I borrow your laptop? I want to see if Rory has a new Facebook page. I'm going to look under Lorelai Hayden."

"Why would you look under that?" Colin asked him suspiciously.

"Oh that's right you don't know… her father is Christopher Hayden."

" Rory is Christopher Hayden's daughter? I thought her name was Rory Gilmore. " Colin asked him. Colin looked at him surprised since he is in the middle of changing a will that names a Lorelai Leigh Hayden as the beneficiary of the Hayden Corporation making her a wealthy woman.

"Yeah, I met her father when we were dating, but they didn't get along especially after her parents divorced. Her mom raised her, and she goes by Gilmore?"

"So you think she goes by Hayden now?" Colin asked him.

"I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised. We never talked about it, and Rory never talked about her dad. Didn't your dad merge his law firm with the Hayden Law offices a few years ago?" Logan asked him

"Yes, he did, but I work at the McCrae office here in Hartford. They kept their lawyers that handle the Hayden side, and they are in Boston," Colin added.

Colin got his personal iPad and handed it to Logan. "Here use this. This is what I use for social media searches and my email. I only use my laptop for work."

It was late afternoon when Lorelai and Luke pulled into the driveway of their home. As they got out of the jeep, they saw Babette hobbling out of her house towards them.

"Luke, Lorelai, hey is everything okay? I just thought you should know that you had company earlier today, but I made sure they left. They were looking for Rory."

"What are you talking about Babette?" Lorelai asked her. Luke stood beside Lorelai listening to the conversation.

"Who came looking for her, Babette?" Luke asked her.

"Her college boyfriend and his friends. That Bastard, I told him she wasn't here. He wanted to know if we knew where she was. I told him that we hadn't seen her since the wedding. I gave it to him good, I don't know if he went to the Inn or the diner looking for you because he thinks you know where she is. I thought I would give you a heads up. That guy is not going to hurt our Rory ever again. I don't care if he comes with his entourage or not or how cute that tall drink of water with the exotic accent is."

"Thanks Babette, we appreciate it. Rory is away today with her new boyfriend," Lorelai said.

"No problem Doll, New boyfriend? Is he that guy she was with at breakfast the other day? He is good looking. Isn't he a doctah? You know having a doctah in the family could be very helpful. I can't wait to meet him. How is our girl? Is she feeling better? Oh listen to me, she must be feeling better if she is out with that handsome doctah, I told that Huntzberger kid that it wouldn't take her long to get back into the game. Our little girl is so beautiful, and those eyes. She must have batted those big blue eyes and made that doctah melt."

"I'm sure Babette, thank you again for keeping an eye out." Lorelai looked at Luke, and he raised his eyebrows at her. He didn't like the idea that her old boyfriend was back. She was hurt enough by him, and he wasn't going to let that happen again.

"No problem Sugah, anytime. MORIE? I'M COMING BACK. LUKE AND LORELAI HAVE RETURNED…" Luke and Lorelai watched Babette scurry back to her house and go inside to talk to Morie.

"Well we missed that bullet," Lorelai said to Luke.

"Yeah, we did. Let's go inside, and I will get dinner started. Maybe I should call Jess."

" Luke, what do you think Logan wants? I can't believe he has the nerve to come here looking for her. She sounded so happy today when I spoke to her. Maybe I should call her and let her know that Logan came snooping around. Wait ….why would you call Jess?"

"Lorelai," Luke said and pulled her to his chest, "Jess might know what's going on. They are close, but I'm sure she's fine. Logan doesn't know where she is if he came here looking for her. She is safe with Christopher and Tristan."

"Yeah, By the way, what is this with Dean? I was surprised when we saw him earlier today at the hospital, and Christopher told us that he has been visiting Rory and his mom, could he still be in love with her?" Lorelai asked him.

"She's a Gilmore, didn't you tell me your father said, once you kiss a Gilmore you never get over it?" Luke smirked as he gave Lorelai a deep kiss.

"Hmmm yeah, come on," she said and began to pull him toward the stairs.

"I thought you were hungry? You were complaining about sustenance all the way home," Luke said with a smirk.

"I am, but suddenly I am hungry for something else," she answered and began to slowly unbutton her top and walk up the stairs. Luke began running up after her, and the two soon fell into bed.

Tristan arrived at the ER and quickly met Ethan and a few other doctors outside in the driveway.

"What's going on?"

"We just got the call, there was a four-alarm fire with multiple injuries. The ambulance is on their way now."

They looked up and saw the ambulance peeling into the in-hospital driveway. Ethan handed Tristan a gown as the two EMT's came wheeling a stretcher in with one of their firefighters on it.

"What happened?" Tristan asked Sam Wilcox one of the firefighters that came running in behind the EMT's.

"Doc, I am glad you are on. We had to call for backup when a second apartment exploded. I was lucky that I was able to pull Joe out. Will he be okay?"

"Sam wait here, I will let you know as soon as I check him. Okay on my count 1, 2, 3," Tristan said as they moved Joe onto the table in the ER and quickly began to evaluate him.

"He is lucky he had his uniform on, he has a dislocated shoulder but no burns."

Tristan turned to one of the nurses and shouting orders, "Call upstairs for an Ortho consult, have the x-ray ready and get him set up for an I V."

Ethan came into the examination room after talking to Sam a little longer.

"Okay, Joe you may have smoke inhalation too, so we are putting you on oxygen. Doc, I just called Ortho, TJ will be down in a minute."

Erika walked in and began to hook Joe up to the oxygen, preparing the I V line in his hand and hung the bag. Dr. TJ O'Malley walked in and quickly evaluated the situation.

"Erika, please give him the medicine in the I V, " he told her.

She quickly injected the pain medication in the I V. Joe felt the warm stinging feeling go up to his arm. "Okay, this will hurt, " Tristan told Joe. He counted and quickly TJ and Tristan popped Joe's shoulder back in place.

"Okay, let's apply ice on it to reduce the swelling and get Joe a sling," TJ ordered.

Tristan and TJ walked out of the triage room and found Sam near the nurses station waiting for them.

"It appears that his shoulder was dislocated. TJ replaced it, and we are waiting for Ortho. Do you know how long he was inside the building? Was his oxygen mask on his face when you pulled him out?"

"I say he was in there about thirty minutes, and yes I am pretty sure it was," Sam told Tristan. "Can I go in and see him before I go back out there?"

"Sure go ahead," Tristan told him.

Erika, TJ, and Tristan were standing at the nurse's station when Dean came rushing in with an infant on the next stretcher. Mac was pushing the gurney as Dean was bagging the infant with the mother following behind, crying.

"Smoke inhalation, baby's airways were blocked, and we had to intubate," Dean told Tristan.

"Trauma room 3," Erika said quickly to Dean. They promptly moved the baby into the trauma room as Paris came running into the OR.

"Okay people what do we have here?" she asked in her authoritative voice.

"Eight-month-old infant with smoke inhalation. We had to intubate before we could transport, " Dean said quickly.

Paris quickly evaluated the eight-month-old infant, and they started to give her oxygen. Suddenly the mother fainted. When they revived her, she said that she had a headache and felt dizzy. Julie came rushing in and quickly examined the mother and started her on oxygen.

The ER continued to be busy for the next three hours as a total of fourteen people were brought in that day which included three other firefighters who were treated with minor injuries. It was now one am, and they were standing at the desk filling out reports.

"Hey Doc, didn't you have plans for today? Rumor has it that you had a date?" TJ asked him after the last person was treated.

"Yea and the date ended when I got paged."

Dean walked in and overheard the conversation and said, "The life of a surgeon or a firefighter" He said grinning and looking at Tristan and TJ.

"You've got that right. If I didn't have such strong feelings for her, I wouldn't let myself get involved. Sometimes it doesn't seem fair to keep them waiting and worrying. So what happened to you?" Tristan asked him noticing that Dean was holding his left hand with gauze wrapped around it.

"Let me take a look at your hand," Tristan told him and led him into an empty triage room.

"Thanks, it's probably nothing."

Tristan unwrapped the gauze and looked at it. "Looks like you have some pretty nasty burns. How did you do that?"

"When I went back out, I went in the third apartment building to make sure it was empty. I must have gotten burnt when I was helping another firefighter pull someone out of their home."

"Need any help Doc?" Paris asked walking into the room where Tristan and Dean were.

"Hi Dean," she said and took his hand and began to apply the analgesic on his hand.

"Looks like second-degree burns. I think you better go upstairs to the burn unit. Is Cassie or Emily on duty up there?" Tristan asked Erin.

"They both are now. I spoke to Cassie a few minutes ago. They called Dr. Travis Kelley, and he is on duty along with his resident Dr. Savage."

"Dean I am going to give you an antibiotic shot and send you upstairs. You will be in good hands," Tristan told him.

"Thanks, Doc." Tristan and Paris moved away from the bed so Erin could give Dean the shot.

As they stood at the end of the bed, Paris asked Tristan, "How was your day off today, Doc,"

"Good, and yours? Is Jess still here?" Tristan asked her.

"Yes, but he's leaving tomorrow to go back to Philadelphia. Oh by the way, when you see Rory tell her that Jess will call her tomorrow."

"Wait, are you seeing Rory?" Dean asked Tristan.

"Why? Do you have a problem with that?" Tristan responded defensively.

Dean looked at him then at Paris, "Wait, I thought Jess was dating Rory."

"No, there's nothing between Jess and Rory," Paris said looking at him.

"Well, I brought flowers over to check on her a week ago, and Jess came, and I thought that they were together."

Tristan didn't say anything, he walked out of the room and headed toward the elevator. Paris could tell by his face that he was upset, so she followed him.

"Tris, talk to me. Don't get all caveman and do something stupid."

"Paris, is she seeing Dean too?"

"Tristan this is Rory. Dean and Rory aren't together, he's not her type. You know that she has a type and that's you. Look she was in a relationship with Logan for a long time, longer than we know. I know she dated a few other men when they split up, but she won't talk about it. I know she has feelings for you, " Paris told him.

"Does she have feelings for Dean too?" he asked.

"Tris, Dean, was her first boyfriend," Paris said to him.

Tristan looked at her and went off to one of the on-call room to try to get some sleep. For the rest the night, he tossed and turned and kept thinking about Rory and the conversation he had with Paris and Dean. Tristan knew that he had strong feelings for her. He remembered the conversation they had when they were kids in high school after the date with Paris. Tristan had hinted to her then that he was interested in someone else, but she immediately thought it was Summer. He was happy that she admitted that she wanted to commit, he just needed to convince her to trust him, and he wasn't the same boy she knew in high school.

Tristan was in the all call room trying to sleep. He tossed and turned, finally at five am he got up only having four hours of fitful sleep. Tristan walked to the locker room and took a shower hoping that would revive him. After dressing in clean scrubs and shaving, he went to the cafeteria that opened at six to get something to eat and an extra protein smoothie to go. Leaving the cafeteria, Tristan took the elevator to Bliss 11 to visit Mrs. Hayden before his seven thirty surgery. Mrs. Hayden was awake sitting up in her bed having just received her breakfast.

"Good morning Mrs. Hayden. How are you feeling today?" he said as he walked into her room?

"Good morning Dr. Dugray, "she responded and smiled at him, "Better, a little bored and restless."

Tristan pulled up her chart on his iPad and checked it.

"Everything looks good. Are you enjoying the food?" he asked Mrs. Hayden.

"I do miss Eunice's fresh homemade cinnamon rolls and homemade raisin bread, " she replied as she looked at her runny eggs on the plate.

"Here, let me get rid of that, and I will get you something better, " he told her taking away her breakfast tray. He put it outside on the cart and found the nurse's aide, Alice.

"Alice, " he said.

"Yes, Dr. Dugray, " she responded smiling shyly at the handsome doctor,

"Please go down to the coffee shop and bring up a fresh cinnamon roll, along with two eggs scrambled with toasted raisin bread, butter, and jam on the side. Please do it quickly and return it to Mrs. Hayden. Tell them it's for Dr. Dugray."

"Yes Dr. Dugray, " she replied and quickly left.

Tristan returned to Mrs. Hayden's room and smiled, "A new breakfast will be brought to you shortly. In the meantime, listen to Dr. Ross and I'm sure you will be home soon eating Eunice's delicious cooking."

He took her hand in his and gently squeezed it.

"Dr. Dugray, thank you. It is so thoughtful for you to buy me breakfast. It really wasn't necessary. Have you seen my granddaughter recently?" she asked him.

"Yes, we spent the day together yesterday with my parents."

"My son mentioned something about the wineries. I always wanted to visit the wineries near here. Did you have a wonderful time?"

"Yes, we had a wonderful time and came back with a few cases of wine."

"That is lovely," she responded smiling at him. Just then Alice appeared with the breakfast he ordered for her.

"Here you go, Mrs. Hayden. Two eggs scrambled toasted raisin bread with butter and an assortment of jams and a fresh cinnamon roll. Now if you would like another cup of tea, I'm sure Alice will be happy to get you one. "

"Thank you, Dr. Dugray, it wasn't necessary," Francine replied smiling at Tristan. Tristan's beeper went off reminding him that he had to get to the surgical floor.

"I have to go to surgery now, but I'll stop by for a visit later, Mrs. Hayden."

Tristan quickly walked to the black elevator and got on. Taking out his phone, he called Rory, and when she didn't answer the telephone, Tristan quickly typed her a message."

Tristan –"Good Morning beautiful. I wanted to hear your voice before I go into surgery. Call me after you get this message."

The elevators doors opened, and he got off heading down the hallway of the surgical floor. Tristan put his phone on airplane mode and slipped it into the pocket of his scrubs. He went into the Sanitary room to prepare for his first surgery. He had three surgeries scheduled that morning, and one was from the fire the night before.

Rory was in the shower when the phone call came in. She got out and put on her jeans and her gray wool crewneck pullover. After drying her hair, she gathered it up in a clip and went to the kitchen forgetting her phone on the nightstand by her bed.

Rory smelled the coffee and cinnamon rolls that Eunice had in the oven.

"Good morning miss, can I get you a warm cinnamon roll and a cup of coffee?"

"Thank you that would be wonderful, " she said as she sat at the island in the warm kitchen. Eunice had just set her coffee and roll in front of her when her father came into the kitchen. He also was showered and dressed in his jeans and crew neck sweater. She smiled looking at her handsome father when he walked in. She was sad that he and her mother were never able to make their marriage work, even though she loved Luke, she was becoming closer to her father and hoped that one day he would find happiness.

"I'm surprised to see you out here. I just heard your phone ring," Christopher told her as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Oh, I must have left it on my nightstand. Are you and Gigi going to the hospital this morning?"

"I am but Gigi is spending the day at her friend's Sam's, and I don't expect her home until later. Do you want to go with me to the hospital?"

"I think that I will go later this afternoon."

Christopher looked at the paper while Rory ate her roll. She sat there thinking about the flowers that her grandmother received from the Huntzbergers. Rory was unaware that her father was in business with them. Now after receiving the message from Finn that Logan insisted on going to Stars Hollow looking for her, she had to make sure her father understood why she couldn't do business with them.

"Ror, did you find out what time your appointment is tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yes, it's around 10:30," she said taking a sip of her Coffee.

"Okay, why don't we meet at my office around noon, I'll take you to lunch and after we can sign the papers."

"Ummm... Dad, can I ask you something?"

"Sure kiddo, what's on your mind."

"Dad how long has your company been doing business with the Huntzbergers?"

"Not very long. Mitchum recently approached us about purchasing the publishing companies that your grandparents own. Your grandfather purchased them back in 2000, not long after meeting you. Mom said Dad wouldn't admit it to the Gilmores, but he was very proud of you and the work you were doing on the Franklin."

"Oh, I never knew that. After meeting them on my sixteenth birthday, I never heard from either of them again until grandpa died. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I never knew about that business until I took over the company. By that time you had taken the job as a political reporter, and I just thought that maybe someday you would like to work here with me. "

"So why does Mitchum want to buy the business?"

"Your grandmother is getting older and it is very stressful. She has been on the board since your grandfather passed away and your grandfather had hired someone to run these companies separately. Things were going great but as you know journalism has changed and she has not been happy with the man that was running the business. Your grandfather, Straub, hired Walter Powell, to run the publishing company, and he is a close friend of Mitchum's. When your grandmother noticed that the business was not progressing she spoke to Andrew McCrae. The McCrae Law firm merged with us a few years ago, and Oscar suggested that we meet with Mitchum."

"Oh no, Colin McCrae his father's company is McCrae law firm, and it's part of Hayden's and Son? That means he works here….no that's not good..."

"You know Colin? He is a smart kid, but strange. He has a habit of taking off and reporting back to work when he wants to. So how do you know Colin?"

"He's Logan's best friend. Dad this isn't good... Logan and Colin are always together, and now he will have another way to find me." Rory became anxious, she thought her life with Logan was over, but it seems that there was always something to pull them together.

"Dad, I can't go to your office to sign the papers. I mean I could run into Colin. What if he is working tomorrow? "

"Rory it's okay. I don't think the McCrae's know that you are my daughter."

"Dad, how long ago was it when you met with the Huntzbergers?" she asked him.

"It was the day you were rushed to the hospital, I was in a meeting with Mitchum, and I told him I had a family emergency and had to reschedule. It was our first meeting, and I must admit I prefer working with his son rather than him."

Rory got up and walked around the kitchen nook mumbling to herself.

"Ror, what's the matter?"

"Dad this is not good. You're not seriously thinking about selling to them are you?"

"No, in fact when you came to live with us, and your grandmother realized that you were unemployed, she decided that this would solve her problem. She wants you to become involved with the publishing company, and she is changing her will so that you will inherit it."

Rory pressed her lips together and looked at her father. "Dad, grandma, did mention to me about working for your company, but Jess also offered me a job. I'm not sure if I want to work in a publishing company. I have a few business courses, and I don't have any experience on how to run a global company. My experience is writing and reporting as a journalist." Rory told him.

"Listen Ror, I had no idea how to run a business when I inherited Hayden and Sons, and I understand what you mean. Your grandmother and I discussed this, she asked me to hire a new CFO with experience in publishing to help you when you join the company. They did that for me, and it helped. The man I am hiring is an experienced journalist who has worked in publishing at the San Francisco Chronicle, the New York Times and recently the Washington Post. He was being interviewed by CNN to take over their News network, but he is more interested in the publishing end of the business. HIs name is Eric Brady."

Rory sat down again and looked at him thoughtfully.

"I don't know dad. Now that I know that the Huntzbergers are involved, I am seriously thinking of working with Jess," she told her father.

"You can't keep on hiding from the Huntzbergers, Ror," Christopher told her.

"Dad, I know but when it comes to Logan, he is manipulative and relentless."

"If you work for Jess you will have to move?" Chris asked her.

"No, I won't have to move, but Jess is coming over to discuss the job today."

"I don't want you to worry about the publishing company or the Huntzbergers, but I would like you to meet Eric Brady first."

Rory stood up poured herself another cup of coffee and refilled her father's cup. Eunice came in from the laundry room and looked at the two of them.

"Miss Rory, Mr. Chris, would you like me to cook you some breakfast?" Eunice asked them.

"Thank you, Eunice, just two eggs over easy with bacon. How about you Rory?"

"No thank you Eunice, I am happy with this delicious cinnamon roll."

"Mr. Chris when you leave I will box up the extra cinnamon rolls I made for you to bring to the hospital for the nurses and doctors. I know the Mrs. would want me to do that."

"Thanks Eunice, that is thoughtful of you." Christopher smiled, and he opened up the Sunday paper again.


	23. Chapter 22 Connecting the Dots

**Chapter 22**

Rory left her father in the kitchen and walked into her bedroom. She thought about Finn's message and wondered if Colin had told Logan that she was going to inherit the Hayden and Son publishing company. This bothered her that Logan travels to Stars Hollow looking for her. She wondered who he spoke to and if he was asking questions about her. Logan told her what he was going to do. Point blank he said he was going to marry Odette and follow the dynastic plan. Now that Logan admitted to her that he was engaged to be married to the chosen wife, she said her goodbye and returned the key to him for the house in Maine. If he changed his mind it was too late, she is moving on, and after last night she realized that Tristan could offer her love, support, happiness and security that Logan never could..

She went to the nightstand by her bed and picked up her phone that was on the charger. She frowned when she realized that she had a missed call. She hit play and sat on her bed to listen to it.

"Good morning, Beautiful. I wanted to hear your voice before I go into surgery this morning. Call me after you get this message."

Smiling she thought about their discussion last night before he went to the ER and knew that being with him was the right choice. She started to call him, but her phone rang just as she was punching in the numbers.

"Hello?"

"Ror, it's me; I am on my way to Philadelphia, and I thought I would check in," Jess said sitting back in his seat on the train.

"Hi Jess, how was your weekend with Paris."

"Fine. Was yours better after we saw you?"

"Yes, I spent Saturday with Tris and his parents and we went on a wine tour where I had a great idea about some articles. But, Jess, my father has offered me a job."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember I mentioned that my grandmother had said she wants me to help my dad with his company?"

"Yes, but I thought you weren't interested since it involves international law."

"Well they own some publishing companies, and it seems that the Huntzbergers want to buy them. My grandmother doesn't want to sell it, and she feels that since I'm a journalist, I would be perfect for taking over the company. So she is rewriting her will so that I inherit this company."

"Huntzbergers? Huh. Do you know what publishing companies your father owns?"

"No, we didn't go into detail why?"

"Just curious. We are always looking for new publishing companies to work with. Are you considering doing it?"

"Jess, I don't know what to do. What do I know about running a business?"

"As much as I did when I started here at Truncheon Books. Ror, I can help you, and so will Matt and Christopher. They both like you and our company is expanding so let me run some things through Chris and Matt."

Rory didn't say anything for a moment, "Jess... I just don't think I'm cut out to run an international company. "

"Listen, I know seeing Logan upset you, but don't make any decisions right away." Jess decided to change the subject. " Why don't you tell me about this idea you have?"

"I got this idea to write a series of articles to use in the Yankee Gazette while we were visiting the wineries. What if I write articles featuring the wineries in Connecticut, you could even put it in the Stars Hollow Gazette and the Woodberry Times. I was thinking I could call it "Let's Wine a Little." I could use the byline Wine Virgin or WV, so it doesn't get confused with anything else I write. While we were at the wineries, I took some notes on the tasting sheets, and I found out many local restaurants serve the local wine, so I thought I could also talk about the wine and food industry."

"Not a bad idea, I will need to talk to Chris and Matt about this and see what they think. I am pretty sure this is something they will be interested in publishing."

"Okay I will work on the first article today, " Rory told him. Rory stood up and walked out of her room towards her grandfather's office that she liked to use.

"Hey Ror, have you spoken to your mother about the offer your father gave you?" Jess asked her.

"No, Dad just told me about It a little while ago. Why?"

"I ran into Luke yesterday when I was picking up Paris at the hospital. He asked me if I heard from you lately."

"I told him that we speak often and that I saw you Friday evening. He said that Lorelai is upset that you haven't been around."

"I don't understand I spoke to her yesterday morning, and I bought her wine," Rory responded.

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger. Luke told me that you seem to be busy with your father and that you never called to let them know you were in the hospital. In fact, he was upset with me because I didn't call him to tell them about it."

"I don't understand her, I have my own life to live. She has a new life with Luke, they don't need me around living with them."

"Ror, how do you think Lorelai will react if you work for your dad."

"What do you mean?" she asked him.

"Is that why you are hesitant about taking the job with him? It's always been the two of you, the Gilmore Girls."

"The Gilmore Girls?"

"Yea, something Luke and I would call you when we saw you walk down the street together arm and arm. I know you, and your dad haven't always been close, and I understand this since I'm not close with my dad, but don't let Lorelai decide what job you need to take."

"So you are saying I should consider this job?" she asked him.

"I am saying that I don't want you to give up a great opportunity. Look I think we can work something out. You like writing and just because you are on the board of a publishing house doesn't mean you can't write."

"You are right, I have been living and doing things that everyone expects me to do. So you think I should talk to my mom about Dad's offer?"

"Does she know that you and Logan got back together and that you went away with him before the wedding," he asked her.

"Ummm not really, " she admits.

"So she doesn't know that Yale Dick is still trying to reach you?"

"No, and neither does my dad. He might punch him."

"I might punch him too if I see him." Rory started to laugh. "Listen Ror, can I ask you a question? "

"Sure, " she responded.

"What's the deal with you and Tristan?" he asked her.

"What do you mean?"

"Ror, are you and Tristan…."

"Look, Jess, you don't need to worry about that. Tris and I talked about our feelings for each other last night, before he had to leave for an emergency at the hospital, and we both agree that we should take our relationship slow."

"Good, you don't want to get involved with either him or Dean too soon."

"Dean? I'm not involved with Dean."

"Well, you should tell him that, Ror. It's obvious he still has feelings for you, and so does Tristan."

"How do you know that?"

"Rory, I have eyes, I was there when Dean was there. Has Dean kissed you?" Jess began to feel a little jealous when he asked her this question. He and Rory were friends now, good friends and he did love her, but he didn't want Dean to be with her.

"Well yea, but it was nothing, we are friends, just friends," she admitted to him.

"An old boyfriend who kisses you wants to be more than friends Rory. Are you and Tristan just friends?" Jess asked.

"Jess…. you know when Paris and I talked she told me that I have always had feelings for Tristan, and I am afraid to act on them because I didn't want to get hurt. It probably was the reason I agreed to the no strings relationship with Logan. But Tristan is not Logan… and what I have with Dean … it's different, he was there with the ambulance… he was my first. There is that feeling of trust that I never really had with Logan..."

"I'm not judging you, Rory. But when I saw Dean look at you, he has those feelings he had for you when you two were together in high school. It used to drive me crazy, but I get it. Look I just don't want to see you get hurt by Tristan, that's all. I care a lot about you Doogie." Jess's voice softened when he told her this. He looked out the train window. He could see his reflection in the glass and thought about Rory, how she looked that day in the hospital. If he could protect her from that again, he would.

"Jess, I think you need to get to know Tristan better. Maybe if we could hang out together, the four of us, you will find out he is not Logan or Dean, and he is really a nice, caring man."

"That's what Paris said too. Okay, we will get together I promise. So what are you going to do for Thanksgiving?" he asked her changing the subject.

"I hope to go to Stars Hollow, but a lot will depend on my grandmother Hayden. What are you doing this year?"

"Paris and I are getting serious, and I didn't want her to be alone this year, so I am bringing Paris to Stars Hollow for Thanksgiving."

"What?" Rory laughed, " Did I hear you correctly? You are bringing Paris to Stars Hollow? You know I like how different Paris is when she is around you. She can't control you like she controlled Jamie and Doyle. However won't it be dangerous to have Paris around your mother and TJ? I mean you know how sharp her tongue can get. And TJ is just going to be so easy for her to criticize."

Jess laughed, "Yes I know. Should be interesting don't you think?"

"Jess that is so cruel putting your mother and TJ together with Paris,. I think you better have mom and Luke nearby."

"Yea, she can be much, but she does have that kind heart underneath that angry hard exterior she shows everyone."

"Well if you need me to tell her to go easy on TJ, I will," she chuckled. Rory sat down at the desk and leaned back in her grandfather's old chair.

"Well we have one more stop, and we will be in Philly, so I better go. Call me when you get that article written," Jess told her.

"Thanks, Jess for everything."

"Ror, I 'm here for you, but you need to go to Stars Hollow and talk to your mom. She misses you, just let her know you are ok."

"I will, love you Dodger," she told him.

"Love you too Doogie. Talk later."

Smiling, Rory ended her call with Jess. She looked at her empty coffee cup and decided to go and get more. She returned to the kitchen where her father was getting ready to leave.

"Are you leaving for the hospital Dad?" She asked him as she refilled her coffee cup.

"Yes, I am. Would you do me a favor?"

"Sure dad, what is it?"

"If Gigi calls tell her I will pick her up today from the Callahan's," he told her.

"I will and please tell grandma that I'll be over later, " she said as she added a cinnamon roll to a plate and filled her coffee cup.

Chris smiled and hugged her. He was glad that she was living with him here in the house. Chris wished that if he could turn back the time, he would have spent more time with his oldest daughter. He missed so much by being away, and now they were finally working at changing their relationship. Chris kissed her on the forehead and left.

Rory watched him leave, then taking her coffee and the plate with her cinnamon roll on it, she went into the office to start writing the article about the wineries. She sat down at the desk and saw her phone. She picked it up and dialed Tristan's number. It rang five times before it went to his voice mail. She quickly left him a message and sighed. He must be in the operating room, she thought. Opening up her computer she began to do a google search to help her write her article on the six wineries she visited. A blinking icon caught her eye, and she realized that she had some emails that she hadn't responded to. Some of the notifications were from her old Facebook account that she thought she closed. She saw that Logan had been on a few times leaving her messages. She picked up her phone and looked at her last text message from Finn. He said that Logan had insisted on visiting Stars Hollow yesterday.

She quickly checked out the messages then searched her computer for other email messages. There were two messages from Steph about the upcoming wedding and telling her she can't reach her phone number and she was getting worried. She needed to get in touch with her. There was also a message from Lucy and Olivia wondering when she was coming to the city again. She decided before she started working on the article she needed to change her email account.

One of the emails that she received was from Charlie Eicher, Editor and Chief of the Stamford Eagle-Gazette. He had some articles that he wanted her to write. Before she deleted her AOL account, Rory decided to write back and tell him that she was moving out of the country and was no longer available to write for him, but if she knew of anyone she would send him the information. She knew that Logan had either sent the email or was behind the email since it was posted a week after she was in the hospital here in Hartford. She knew that it was his way of trying to find her.

She first printed out the contacts in her address book before deleting her AOL account. She opened up a new Gmail account under the name L Hollow then entered her connections into the Gmail account, removing the ones she no longer needed. She wrote messages to Finn, Steph, Lucy, and Olivia telling them her new address, her new phone number and how to get in touch with her. She knew she needed to call Steph since her wedding was soon, so she decided first to send her the email message and then call her later. In her email, she explained that in the past three weeks, a lot of things had changed, and she would call later to tell her everything. She really missed her girlfriends and hoped that when Lucy, Steph, and Olivia received this email, they would call her. Feeling better, she then closed and deleted her Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram account so that her presence as Rory Gilmore no longer existed on Social Media. Rory felt better knowing that Logan could no longer follow her this way, the only way now he would be able to keep track of her would be through Colin. Rory wondered if she should call Finn and talk to him about this. Rory looked at the clock and saw that it was only nine thirty in the morning and decided not to call and disturb Finn this early. She knew better than that remembering how they used to laze around in the morning and not do things until the afternoon. Pulling out her notes, Rory began a Google search on the wineries that were in Connecticut. With a steaming cup of coffee beside her, and the warm cinnamon roll she started to work on her article.

It was 12:30 in the afternoon when Tristan finally got out of surgery. He pulled out his phone and saw he missed a call from Rory. Tristan took the elevator to the cafe and ordered a green tea smoothie. He was still thinking about Dean's comment that he made last night in the ER. He needed to talk to Jess and find out what was going on between him and Rory. He was sipping on his smoothie in the Starbucks Café and started to listen to her message when Ethan came over with Connor.

"That was a long evening last night," Ethan said sitting next to him sipping his double espresso and digging into the salad he just bought. Tristan stopped the voice mail and put the phone back in his pocket without listening to the message.

"Yes, it was. We were lucky there weren't more casualties. Have we heard how the fire started?" Tristan asked

"Not sure, one of the nurses told me that they are still investigating the scene. But I overheard from some of the EMT's that it involved two or three buildings," Ethan said.

Paris came over with her coffee and stood beside Tristan.

Tristan looked up at Paris and asked, "Are you going to join us this morning Paris?"

"No, I just came over to ask if you know if Rory is coming into the hospital today?" she asked him.

"Paris I'm not sure. I have a message on my phone, but I haven't had a chance to check it. Would you like me to give her a message for you?"

"Yeah, tell her that Jess is going to call her. I don't know why he feels he needs to call her Tristan. I mean I explained everything to him last night, why you had to operate and how things were between her and that Dick Head. But he was upset when I left last night. I got a message from him this morning on my phone that he was heading back to Philly and he would be calling her."

"Paris, what did you tell Jess?"

"I explained to him how you saved her life and the type of operation you had to perform," she answered.

"Paris, I have to call Jess. Give me his number," he said glaring at her, "Don't you know that you just broke patient-doctor confidentiality. It was not for you to discuss."

"Look, Tris, Rory will understand, I had done this before when she needed information when her grandfather was in the hospital and also when Logan was injured. It was only Jess, he wanted to know."

Tristan shook his head, he was getting angry with her. Her behavior right now was irrational.

"Why?" she answered defensively, "You know that Jess and Rory are close. Nothing is going on between them.".

"Are you trying to convince yourself or me Paris. I just want to talk to him," Tristan said.

Ethan suddenly stopped eating his salad and began to pay attention to Tristan and Paris. He loved watching Paris become angry and flustered. She was so defensive, and he had trouble understanding the friendship that these two shared. It was almost like sister and brother but not quite.

"Who is Jess?" Ethan asked wondering if Tristan had competition.

"Jess Mariano," Paris answered. Connor stopped eating his lunch when he heard his favorite author's name.

"You and Rory know the author Jess Mariano?" Connor asked, "What's he like? I've read his books, and I am looking forward to his next one."

Paris rolled her eyes at Ethan and Connor.

"Yes, Connor, we know Jess. We met him through Rory when we were in high school."

"Did Rory go to high school with Jess Mariano? So you knew him then too, I mean you all went to Chilton together? " Connor asked Tristan

"No he didn't go to Chilton, and I didn't know him very well since I moved the end of our junior year. But Mare and Jess are close, I guess they have some history," Tristan answered Connor.

"Tristan, I really need to talk to Rory, is she coming to visit her grandmother today?" Paris asked Tristan hoping to change the subject.

"Who's her grandmother?" Ethan asked them.

"Francine Hayden," Connor responded, "She is one of my patients."

"Wait, Lorelai Hayden is Rory/Mare that you have the hots for?" Ethan asked Tristan.

"Listen, Ethan, it's really none of your business," Paris pointed out to him. She turned and looked at Tristan.

"Paris I don't know her plans for today, so I suggest you call her, but before you go give me Jess's phone number," he told her and held out his phone for her to type in the number.

She grabbed his phone and quickly typed Jess's phone number into Tristan's phone. She handed the phone back to Tristan and turned to the men sitting at the table, "Well, gentlemen, and I use that term loosely," She glared at Ethan when she said it. "I'm going to go on my rounds. "

Paris walked away from the table. Ethan looked at Tristan and shook his head. "Really she has the author of the Subsect's phone number? What did Paris do? Did she go all fangirl on him when she first met him?" he asked him.

Tristan smiled at Ethan and Connor, "No, they are dating. Sometimes I don't understand what Paris says or does, but she and Mare are best friends. So do me a favor just leave Paris alone. She really isn't that bad, once you get to know her, " Tristan told him.

Tristan's pager went off, and he checked it. "Okay, I have a consult on the surgical floor. I will see you guys later.."

Connor and Ethan continued to sit in the cafe and talked about Paris, Rory, and Tristan when Connor noticed Dean and Clara walked toward them in the café. Connor smiled when he saw the cute nurse, Clara Forester heading their way.

"Dean, Clara, why don't you come and join us," Connor said.

"Thanks Connor," Clara said as she and Dean sat down. Clara took the chair beside Connor and smiled at him. She really liked him and was hoping that he would ask her out.

Connor turned to Clara and asked, "Are you on duty today?"

"Yes. Dean called and offered me a ride since he knew that I have to work for the next twelve hours. Dean has to go and have his hand checked," Clara said smiling at Connor.

"Dean, how is your hand? Are you feeling any pain or discomfort?" Ethan asked him.

"I'm fine, I was put on light duty for the next few days, and since I had to check in with the burn unit, I decided to come in and check on Joe," Dean replied..

"Joe is doing well, he will be released today. I spoke to Dr. Kelley in Ortho, and he thinks that he will be out of work for the next four to six weeks depending on his physical therapy," Ethan said.

"That's good news. Hey is there any news on that baby I brought in yesterday?" Dean asked Ethan.

"The baby is stable, and they brought him to the Pediatric unit late last night. They got in touch with the father, and both parents are there with the baby now," Ethan replied.

"Do they have any idea how the fire started?" Connor asked Dean.

"Not that I heard, they are still inspecting it. I will probably hear later tonight when I go into the Pig's Ear. I am sure that Lt. Gustafson will know more tonight after he does the inspection with the captain."

Ethan looked at Dean and Clara, "Hey," he said, " I have a question for you. Since you are both from this area did you know the author Jess Mariano?"

Dean's face grew dark and didn't say anything. But Clara quickly answered. "Yeah, we grew up near here in a small town called Stars Hollow. Dean lived there until his divorce and moved to Chicago, and then a few years later I went off to nursing school. I remember Jess. Dean, wasn't he the guy Rory dated when you two broke up?" Clara looked at Dean who sat quietly and didn't respond.

""Well Tristan and Paris just told us that the author, Jess Mariano, lived in Stars Hollow. They also said that Rory and Jess were good friends," Connor said.

"Yeah Jess and I went to high school together, " Dean responded. "Why do you want to know about him?"

"Let me get this straight; you dated Doc's Mare in high school, and so did the author Jess Mariano. However, you went to school in Stars Hollow, and she went to school here in Hartford at Chilton with Paris and Tristan. Were you Rory's' boyfriend that Tristan was jealous of when he was younger? What's her real name?" Ethan asked him. Dean crossed his arms in front of his chest and glared at Ethan. He had no idea why he was asking him these questions, but he had no beef with him. Ethan could be an idiot, but he was a good doctor.

"Rory's legal name is Lorelai Gilmore- Hayden, but she went by Rory Gilmore. Both Jess and Tristan were idiots in high school, and Doc would annoy her and call her Mary." Dean explained and looked at the men and leaned back in his chair. He wanted to leave this table and go and have his hand examined and then go and visit Mrs. Hayden to see if Rory was here.

"Dean, why didn't I know that Rory's name is Lorelai Hayden?" Clara asked her brother, " I always thought that her name was Rory Gilmore. Is she related to the Hayden's that built the cardiology wing that you work in Connor?" Clara was surprised to find out this bit of information.

"Clara, it's no big deal, she's still the same Rory, " Dean told his sister.

"I wonder why she always went by Gilmore and didn't go by her legal last name?" Clara asked. "Did you know her father, Dean? I remember when her mother was married for a short time to a very handsome man, but you were gone to Chicago by then. Was that her father or step farther."

"Clara, I met her father, and it doesn't matter anymore, Lorelai is married to Luke now. Listen, I'm going up to the burn unit and have my hand checked. I will call you later."

Dean stood up and nodded goodbye to both Ethan and Connor and walked over to the elevator to go to the burn unit. After he left Ethan started to ask Clara more information about Rory.

"Clara, I'm confused, who are Luke and Lorelai?"

"Lorelai is Rory's mother, and Luke owns the diner in town, and he is also Jess's uncle." Clara smiled and continued to fill them in with their history.

"When Dean was in high school, he and Rory dated, but they broke up. They were always breaking up, and during one of these breakups, Jess was living in Stars Hollow, and Rory and Jess started dating. I never understood why Rory went to that private school, but she is brilliant and graduated at the top of her class. My brother didn't like her friends at Chilton, and he never felt comfortable taking her to fancy dances there. Finally, Dean and Rory had a fight, and they ended things with Rory their senior year, and he ended up getting married out of high school. I never liked his wife, and luckily that marriage ended, and Jess moved away."

"Sounds like a mini soap opera to me. Are all small towns like that?" Connor asked her.

"No, I don't think so. It's just that Stars Hollow is a unique community with many colorful people who live there. You will have to go and visit it someday. So have you met Rory?" she asked them.

"Yes, you mean Lorelai Hayden. I met her the other day, Connor, I think you have met her too. Clara, why doesn't your brother like Doc or Jess? " Ethan said thinking out loud.

"What do you mean? Dean likes and respects Doc, and Jess? Well, they were rivals. Jess had an attitude and a reputation as being a bad boy. He originally lived in New York City and skipped school a lot," she replied.

"Then why is Doc acting strangely around him. Does your brother still have feelings for her? Ethan asked. Connor didn't say anything, he was becoming annoyed with all the questions that Ethan was asking Clara. It really wasn't any of his business.

"I know that they had history and he brought her to the hospital, but I am not sure. Dean is usually quiet about these things," Clara said.

Just then Ethan's pager went off, and he stood up. "Got to go. Clara thanks for the information." He quickly left the table and went to the ER.

Clara looked at Connor and said, "I better get going. It was good talking to you Doctor Ross, maybe I will see you later today?"

"Maybe you will," Connor responded smiling at her as she got up to leave. They walked side by side until Connor headed to the black elevator while Clara walked up the flight of stairs to go to the hospital cafeteria to grab something to eat before she went to the NICU floor.

Paris was in the ER in the treatment room four checking on a young mother who was 28 weeks pregnant and in pain. She had paged Ethan for a second opinion and looked up when he walked in. "Dr. Whyles, could you check this ultrasound for me? The baby's heartbeat is strong, but look there, it looks like the mother's spleen is twisted."

Ethan looked at the ultrasound image that Paris was referring too. He turned to the nurse and said quietly, "Erika, page Doc and see if he can do an operation to repair the spleen before it ruptures."

Erika quickly called up to the O.R. to see if he was available.

"Doc is available, and so is Dr. Chen," she told him.

"Okay, tell them we are sending up a patient and for them to book an OR, " Ethan told her.

"I'll go up and assist," Paris said and began to leave the room.

Ethan shakes his head, "No I need you down here."

"Why? You're not busy," she said defensively.

"Because I want to know more about Lorelai Hayden. She interests me."

"Forget it, Ethan, she is my best friend, and she isn't going to date the likes of you. You might be an excellent doctor and handsome, but like her last boyfriend, you are also engaged. Rory doesn't need that." Paris glared at him then turned and walked away to the nurses' station to begin to write her report. Ethan came over and stood beside her. Leaning on the desk, he said, "How serious do you think Tristan and Rory are?"

"Ethan what do you want. As I told you, Rory is my friend she was hurt recently by her ex, and if she and Doc are in a relationship, she is taking it slow."

"So she and Dean dated?" he asked her with a smirk.

"Yes, they dated while they were in high school. How do you know that information?"

"I have ways, so what about her and Doc? Did they date? Did she date the author too? Is that the ex that hurt her?" Ethan asked trying to figure out the connection between all of them.

"Look Tristan liked her in high school, but she was dating Dean, so nothing ever came of a relationship between her and Tristan."

"You didn't answer me, is the author her ex? If her mother is married to his uncle are they kissing cousins now?"

"Ethan no, Jess is not her ex. Her ex was someone from Yale, they had a long-complicated relationship. Jess and Rory are just close friends and if you must know Jess and I are dating now."

"Yes, but Doc is acting differently. Something is up."

Suddenly the ER doors open, and Logan came in, with his sister who was pushing their mother in a wheelchair.

"Oh great, speak of the devil. It's a good thing Rory isn't here today. I should go and punch his face. That guy is not worth going to jail for, so I am leaving the ER now before I do something," Paris muttered and started to turn and walk away.

Ethan grabbed her arm and whispered, "No way, she dated him? Is he the?"

"Yup…"

"Excuse me, can I have some help here?" Logan said when he walked into the ER.

April who was on duty today in the ER walked over and smiled at Logan,

"Yes, how can I help you?" she asked him and noticed the woman sitting in the wheelchair.

"It's my mother, she has fallen down the stairs in our house and twisted her ankle?"

April quickly looked at Julie who was the charge nurse in the ER.

"Julie, what room should I take, Mrs."

"Huntzberger, " Logan said.

Paris went to move away from the nurse's station when Logan caught Paris' eyes. "So Rory was dating him and is he the ex that you were referring to?" Ethan asked Paris.

Logan looked at Paris, and through his teeth, he said, "Paris."

Paris glared at Logan and turned and nodded her head at Ethan without saying anything. She quickly walked away to the doctor's lounge and decided she better make that call to Rory now.


	24. Chapter 23 A Busy Day in the ER

**Chapter 23 A Busy Day in the ER**

Ethan walked over to Shira and told April to bring her into room three. Logan and Honor stayed outside in the waiting room as Ethan and April examined Shira. The ambulance pulled up, and soon Mac and Clay came rushing into the ER with a young teenager on a stretcher complaining of stomach pains. The child's stepmother and a young teenage girl with blond hair were running behind them. Paris heard the ambulance and came out of the doctor's lounge turning off her phone and immediately recognized her close friend from high school.

"Madelyn, what happened?" Paris asked her girlfriend.

"I'm not sure, Gigi came running down the stairs saying that Sam got sick and was laying on the bathroom floor holding her stomach."

"Okay, Madelyn take Gigi and go wait in the waiting room at the end of the hall. I will have someone page your husband." Paris then turned to the nurses and the EMT's and said, " Please take her to room 5. Margo, come with me while I examine her. Corrine, will you page Dr. Callahan. "

Logan looked up when he heard the name Gigi and wondered if it was Rory's sister. She had her back to him, and he was about to go over to her when Ethan came out.

"Mr. Huntzberger, it looks like your mother has more than a sprained ankle. We are taking her up for an MRI, why don't you and your wife…"

"No, this is my sister Honor, I'm not married." Logan replied.

"Honor, Logan why don't you follow me. We will take you to a nice private waiting room in the orthopedic wing where you can wait.."

Logan and Honor followed Ethan to the examining room where Shira was. Shira saw her son and reached her hand out to him. He went over and kissed her cheek. "Mom, how are you feeling?"

"Logan, I'm sorry, I should have never said anything. Please can I get something for the pain?" she asked her son. Logan looked up at the doctor and the nurses.

"Sorry Mrs. Huntzberger, we will give you something after we run some test. Logan, Honor, why don't you go with April. We will take your mother upstairs now. April will show you where you can wait to speak with Dr. O'Malley.."

"Who is Doctor O'Malley?" Honor asked him.

"Doctor O'Malley is one of the best orthopedic surgeons on staff and also the head of the Orthopedic department. Don't worry your mother will be in good hands."

Ethan then spoke directly to Shira, "Don't worry Mrs. Huntzberger, you will like Dr. O'Malley and Doctor Dugray. They are the best surgeons on the east coast."

Shira smiled at Ethan and took his hands. "Thankyou."

An orderly came in and wheeled her bed over to the x-ray department as April led Logan and Honor upstairs to the orthopedic floor.

In ER room five, Paris quickly examined Samantha, 's fourteen-year-old daughter, "Erika, will you page Dr. Dugray, I think he needs to see this."

Tristan walked over to the lounge to call Rory. The phone buzzed beside her, glancing at the caller id she cheerfully answered the phone.

"Hi Tristan, I was just thinking about you,"

"Hi Babe. I hope they were good thoughts."

"Always, are you finished for the day?" she asked him

"No," he chuckled, "I had a break and I wanted to check in."

"I have some good news, Jess called me this morning," she told him happily.

"He did?" She sounded happy.

"Yes, I told him my idea about writing a column for his Yankee Gazette. He was excited about it. He told me that writing about the area's wineries might be something they could use in the small-town papers that they recently acquired, like the Stars Hollow Gazette. He suggested that I go ahead and write the article and he will show it to the guys. "

"That's sound promising," he said smiling hearing the excitement in her voice.

"Yes it is and I spoke with my dad this morning. Actually it was before Jess called, he wants me to think about working for him. Tris, I don't know what I should do. I thought I would make a pro/con list, but I need someone to look it over.. Do you think we can go over it together later?" she said anxiously. "Can we meet when you are finished today with your surgery? I don't want to disappoint my dad, but I really want to work with Jess, Matt, and Chris."

Rory was hoping that he could meet with her and sit and talk about it. It would be nice to have someone to share her thoughts with.

"Sure, I should be finished close to four. I'll send you a text when I know."

"Good, I will come over to the hospital around four, " she told him

"That will be good. Hey Mare?" Tristan said softly into the phone.

"Yea?" she responded

"I miss your soft lips," he whispered into the phone.

"I miss your strong arms around me. " Rory was feeling emotions for Tristan that she had never felt for Logan. Was she falling for this handsome doctor?

"I can't wait to see you. Babe, I just got paged. I've got to go," he told her as he looked down at the page from the ER.

"Okay, talk later." Rory finished the call and began to work on her article. She heard the back door open and her father calling her name.

"Hey Ror, I'm back." .

Rory came out of the family room and met her father in the kitchen.

"Hi Dad, I didn't expect you back until later."

"Grandma is doing better, and she sent me home. They had her sitting up for 15 minutes at a time again today, and Dr. Ross told me that by tomorrow they will increase it to twenty minutes. The Respiratory therapist came in, and she is pleased with the progress she is making. Is Gigi back yet?"

"No, not yet and she hasn't called either."

Tristan walked into the ER and saw Gigi sitting alone in the lounge. He walked over to her and wondered why she was sitting there alone in the hospital.

"Gig what are you doing here? Are you okay?"

Gigi got up and ran over to him and hugged him around the waist.

"Tristan, it was scary I was at my friends Sam's house, and she was laying on the bathroom floor crying, so I called her mom, and she called the ambulance. The ambulance came and brought her here, and we followed behind in the car."

Gigi began to cry, and Tristan gently rubbed her back. He squatted down and looked at her in the eyes. "It will be okay. Who is Sam?"

"She is my best friend. Her name is Samantha Callahan."

"Alright, He does your dad you are here?"

"No, he thinks I'm at the Callahan's house."

"Do you have your phone with you?"

"Umm no. We left in a hurry, and I left it in Sam's room."

"Okay let me go and check on Sam and then we will call your dad, so he doesn't worry about you. Here go to the machine and get yourself something to eat," he said and handed her five dollars."

"Thank you Dr. Dugray."

"Gigi, you can call me Tristan, Okay?"

Gigi nodded, and Tristan gently gave her a hug. He stood up and walked into treatment room five.

"Dr. Callahan, Paris. You must be Mrs. Callahan." He looked around the room shaking their hands.

"Hi Tristan," Madelyn said looking at him.

Tristan looked at Madelyn in surprise. He was holding her hand and he noticed that she was about seven or eight months pregnant. Callahan had his arm protectively around her shoulder. He had heard that Dr. Callahan had remarried a year ago after his wife had died, but he had never met his new wife until now.

"Madelyn?" Tristan said.

"You know my wife, Dr. Dugray?" Dr. Callahan asked him.

"Yes, Paris, Madelyn and I all went to Chilton together," he responded. He then looked at the pretty little twelve-year-old lying on the stretcher in the treatment room clutching her stomach and sweating.

He quickly began to examine her. "What's going on?" he asked Paris.

"She has a fever of 102.4, and it's rising. I have called for an ultrasound, and I am waiting for the equipment, " Paris replied crisply.

Dr. Callahan and Madelyn stood at the end of the bed giving Paris, Tristan and the nurse room to work on Sam.

Tristan gently began to palpate her belly, and Sam cried out when he got to the right side. Danielle walked in with the ultrasound machine.

Tristan took the wand and said, "Okay, let's get her ready."

Danielle, who was assisting, put the gel on Sam's stomach. Tristan took the wand and began to press it and saw that her appendix was swollen and twisted.

"Dr. Callahan and Mrs. Callahan, her appendix is twisted, we need to do surgery immediately before it ruptures."

Paris turned to Danielle and said, "Danielle call upstairs and book an OR for an emergency appendectomy. Okay, people let's move her upstairs."

Dr. Callahan took Tristan by the arm and said, "Doc will you do the surgery?"

"If you want me too, I will," Tristan said.

"We do," he turned to his wife and said, "He is one of the best surgeons, and I trust him with my little girl."

"Okay, I'll meet you upstairs."

Tristan pulled Madelyn aside and said quietly, "Gigi is in the waiting room, I don't know if you want to take her with you. If not her grandmother is upstairs in Bliss 11 Her dad was there earlier, and I can ask Corrine to bring her there."

"Oh thank you, Tristan. I am so worried about Sam that I completely forgot about Gigi." She responded anxiously looking over at her step daughter and her husband.

Tristan walked back into the lounge where Gigi was sitting holding a bag of chips and a soda, but not eating them.

Tristan walked over to her, "Gigi, Sam has to have an operation. So her mom and Dad are going upstairs to wait. How about if I have Corrine bring you up so you can visit your grandmother. I just called upstairs, but your dad has left. I will call Rory and let her know you are here. Your sister is planning on coming to visit your grandmother in a few hours this way you can visit with your grandmother until she comes."

"Thanks Tristan." Gigi gave him a big smile. Corrinne was standing behind Tristan smiling at Gigi.

"Corrine, can you bring Miss Hayden upstairs to her grandmother's room, 1115?"

"Sure Dr. Dugray, I would be happy too."

Corrine and Gigi left to go upstairs on the black elevator, and Tristan walked over to the express elevator to the ER. He immediately called Rory.

"Hi, Tris?" she answered looking at her father, "Is everything okay?"

"Gigi is here at the hospital…."

"Gigi is at the hospital? Is she hurt? Was she in an accident?"

"Mare, calm down. She is fine. She was with her friend Dr. Callahan's daughter who has to have an emergency appendectomy. She came to the hospital with them, so I had her go upstairs to wait in your grandmother's room until you get here."

"Oh thank you…."

Christopher took the phone from Rory.

"Tristan, what happened?"

"She was with Dr. Callahan's daughter who got sick, immediately Gigi went and got her mother, and they brought her here by ambulance. I was called in for a consult and I am heading to surgery now. I told Rory Gigi is visiting your mother, until you or Rory can pick her up."

"Thanks, I will come over and pick her up. Do you think she is okay visiting my mother for a while?"

"Yes She's fine Christopher, she's good company for your mother, " Tristan assured him.

"Good I'll be there shortly….here's Rory." Handing the phone back to Rory he went into his bedroom.

"Hey, Dad is going to get Gigi, I can come with him now or later. "

"Mare, I don't know how long I will be in surgery. Why don't you work on your writing and I'll come to you when I'm finished. I will call first, " He told her.

"Perfect. See you in a few hours."

Tristan ended the call and slipped his phone in the pockets of his scrubs. He entered the sterile room and began to get ready to perform the operation.

When Dean left the hospital, he returned to his apartment and thought about the conversation with Tristan and Paris last night. Dean began to wonder if Rory still had feelings for him or was this like high school when they dated, and Tristan began to pursue her. After all these years did Tristan still have feelings for her too?

He thought about the kiss they shared the other day. They were not kids anymore, and that kiss brought back all the memories of their first time together.

Dean was in love with her then, but they broke up, and she began to date Jess. Dean moved on and dated and married Lindsey on the rebound. Luke tried to tell him to wait, but he didn't. She went off to Yale but then that night happened, and Rory and Dean finally slept together. Dean eventually divorced Lindsay, but by then his insecurities resurfaced about Rory. Rory was intelligent and going to Yale, hanging out with people with more money than he could ever have. Dean believed that he couldn't be with her, he wasn't even in college, so when his older sister offered him a place to stay with her family, Dean moved to Chicago which was the best decision he ever made.

His brother in law worked for the fire department in Chicago, and with his help, he trained and got a job with the fire department. They needed EMT's, so he took training in that and soon past the test and became an EMT. His sister encouraged him to attend Robert Morris University, he was able to get his bachelor's degree in business. He loved helping people and working as an EMT, and when the City of Chicago had cutbacks, he returned to the Hartford area. He took the EMT test for the state of Connecticut and got a job with the Hartford Fire department. He made a lot of friends, and soon he was investing in the Pig Ear Pub and running it with his two best friends.

Dean no longer was insecure. He was tall, handsome and confident. When he saw Rory that day in Stars Hollow, all the memories and feelings resurfaced. He needed to see her and talk to her. He knew that there was something there between them.

Making up his mind, Dean picked up his phone. Dialing her number he anxiously waited for her to pick up.

Rory looked at the caller ID when her phone rang. She hesitated, seeing his name she thought about what Jess had told her this morning. He told her that he could tell that both Tristan and Dean have feelings for her. No Jess was being silly, so she decided to answer it.

"Hello Dean, " she said answering her phone on the fifth ring.

"Hey, could we get together today maybe we could talk and have lunch?"

"I thought you told me that you were working this week."

"Well, I was, but I was injured…"

"Oh no, Dean are you okay? What happened?" She was worried about him.

"It's nothing. I'm okay," he responded trying to play down his injury.

"Are you sure?"

"Yea, it's just after last night, I've been thinking a lot about you and I really want to see you," he told her.

"Well I'm not sure…" she hesitated

"Oh, maybe I misunderstood, I thought that after our kiss….I'm sorry, are you seeing someone else?" he asked her.

She was afraid to admit to him that she was becoming involved with Tristan. She still was getting over Logan and dating different men would not help her. So she cautiously answered, "It's just that I am in the middle of writing an article for Jess."

"Jess? Are you and Jess dating now?"

"No Dean... Jess and I are friends, best friends… actually, we are more like family now that Luke has married mom. Jess is helping me get back on my feet, and he asked me to do some work for his company."

"So there is nothing between you and Jess?"

Rory laughed at that. "Jess and his partners have offered me a job. I would be writing for them. Since I was unemployed, this was a great offer. I will now have a contract with benefits and my own column in the Stars Hollow Gazette."

"Jess owns a paper and magazines?" Dean asked in surprise.

His memory of Jess is clouded, and whenever Dean thinks about Jess, he remembers the angry punk from high school. He tried to be his friend back then, but Jess didn't want friends, he was mad at the world, and he only wanted Rory. Time changes people, and both men were no longer boys, he thought about how Jess looked when he saw him three weeks ago at the hospital. He was clean-shaven, his hair was longer, and he was dressed professionally in a dress shirt, jeans, and a blazer.

"Dean, Jess is a successful author and part owner of a publishing company called Truncheon Books. He knows about the rough time I have had these last few years, and he is giving me an opportunity to write again."

"Does this mean you will be moving to Philly?"

"I'm not sure. I could be a digital reporter which means I can write from anywhere, but it will depend on the articles and how much travel I need to do and if I had a reason to stay here."

"I didn't know that the last few years have been tough for you. I'm glad that Jess is able to help you. This is very good news we should go out and celebrate. I'm off today, and I could pick you up and take you to lunch. "

Smiling she thought about how sweet and caring Dean was.

"Okay, what did you have in mind?" she answered hesitantly.

Dean laughed, "How about I bring you lunch. I'll see you around two. "

"Fine, I will be working on my article. See you around two," she answered.

Rory hung up her phone and looked at her empty coffee mug; she decided to return to the kitchen and fill it. Her father was there talking on his phone. He hung up and looked at her.

"Was that Tristan again? Did you tell him I'm on my way?" Chris asked her.

"No, it was Dean. He called to ask if he could come over and bring lunch."

Chris looked and decided to tell her what was on his mind. He was worried about her, worried about her reaction to the Huntzbergers, her involvement with Tristan and also with Dean. He wanted to protect his daughter now that she was living with him.

"Hey kiddo, can I give you some advice?"

Rory smiled at her father, this was unusual for him to offer her advice, but the past few weeks she had seen a different side of her father, and she really liked the man he has become, so she nodded.

"Of course dad. Is this about Truncheon books and Hayden Publishing?"

"No, that can be discussed later. It's about Dean and Tristan."

"What do you mean?" She looked at him confused.

Christopher leaned against the counter and began to speak. "Ror, I know that things between you and Logan didn't work out the way you hoped. I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but kiddo, I am worried about you. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"So you think Dean or Tristan will hurt me?"

"Or you may hurt them."

Rory looked at her father in surprise. "Why do you think I would hurt them."

"Ror, listen to me. Two men are very interested in you, and one has had a history with you. The other had a crush on you when he was younger. I know what it is like to be in a situation like that. This is very similar to Luke and me with your mother.."

"No Dad this isn't like you and Luke. Dean and I, yes we dated, and he was my first boyfriend, my first…"

"He is your Christopher." He put his hands on her shoulders and looked at her.

"Tell me, Kiddo, are you in love with Dean or have strong feelings for him? How about Tristan, the way you two act together, it's more than flirtation between the two of you. I can tell that Tristan cares deeply for you, and so does Dean."

She just looked at him confused. Jess told her something similar when they spoke. Christopher took advantage of her silence and continued, "Ror, l loved your mother for a very long time. We both tried to move on, in fact, I still love your mother. Your mom and I tried to rebuild our love, but we changed, and we couldn't make it work. She found someone who adored her and even though they fought their feelings for each other, they finally are happy. Lorelai wasted a lot of time waiting for me, and I just couldn't give her what she needed."

She bit her bottom lip and nodded, "I know,"

"Rory, you don't like conflict, you don't want to hurt people's feelings, but when it comes to love someone always gets hurt."

Rory looked off in the distance and tears came to her eyes, she thought of her relationship with Logan. They would probably be together if it weren't for all the obstacles that neither of them could navigate through. She got tired of that, tired of not being important enough for him before she finally realized that Logan didn't love her enough to fight for her. Christopher saw her eyes well up with tears and pulled her into his chest.

"Look Kiddo, my advice to you is to tell both men exactly how you feel. If you have feelings for Tristan, then tell Dean. If you have feelings for Dean tell Tristan. If you are not ready to date because you are still in love with Logan, then tell them. Don't play with their hearts like your mother did with mine and Luke's. It only makes it harder for everyone. I have seen how Dean looks at you, he still has feelings for you."

"It's just that Dean brought me to the hospital. I hadn't seen him in over fourteen years, and he arrived out of nowhere. If it wasn't for him.."

"It would have been someone else. Rory, he was doing his job. Look kiddo, love is fickle, but if you don't share the same feelings for Dean as he does for you, it's not fair to Dean. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"You're right dad, it's just so hard. I care for them both."

"Ror, talk to both of them, let them know how you feel, and if you need time tell them. If they love you, they will wait for you. Give yourself time to heal, and if you don't share the same feelings that they have for you, then it's only fair that you let them know."

Rory nodded her head, and Christopher hugged her. " Ror, I promise it will be okay."

"Thanks Dad."

"Hey, you are my little girl, and I only want the best for you. Listen I don't want you to worry about the company and the Huntzbergers. I am sure we can work something out." Christopher gave her a hug and then kissed her forehead. "Listen to your old man, it will work out. Now, I am off to pick up your sister."

Christopher left the kitchen and headed to his car as he thought about his relationship with Lorelai. He really hopes that Rory doesn't make the same mistake that her mother did by not being honest with the two men who loved her.

Logan and Honor sat in the waiting room outside the orthopedic wing. Honor was on her phone pacing talking to her husband and giving him instructions about picking up her father at the airport. Mitchum was in Virginia for a meeting and took a commercial flight back when he received the call. Logan really didn't care who his father was talking with so he interrupted his meeting and demanded that he return home to his wife since she had fallen down the stairs. At first, Mitchum gave Logan excuses telling him to handle it, that's when Honor got on the phone and told him in no uncertain terms that he better get on the next flight. Honor was anxious enough since her mother was now in a lot of pain, but she also left her two children with Odette and hoped that between Odette and the nanny the children would not come into any harm. Once they arrived in the waiting room and found out Shira had fractured her ankle in the fall and needed immediate surgery, Logan called Finn, Robert, and Colin for support.

When the elevator chimed Logan lifted his head and saw his best friends walk down the hall towards him.

"What's going on Mate?" Finn asked when he stepped off the elevator.

Logan gave each of his friend an embrace as they patted him on the shoulder. "My mother is having her ankle operated on. My father is on his way back, and Odette is in charge of my niece and nephew."

Honor looked up from her phone and walked towards them.

"Hello Colin, Finn, and Robert thanks for coming," Honor said and gave them each a kiss on the cheek.

"What can we do to help?" Robert asked as he went and sat down on the couch taking out his flask and handing it to Logan.

Logan took a swig, "I'm not sure. I'm a wreck. I'm stuck here for at least two weeks since I need to take care of the offices her and my mother."

"What happened?" Colin asked Honor as he stood there looking at Logan and his sister who sat beside her brother and watched as she took the flask from her brother and took a sip.

"Thanks, I needed that," she said and handed the flask back to Robert.

"Logan was with the kids playing a game, and I walked out of the kitchen when I heard mom and Odette upstairs arguing. I heard a scream and a crash, and I ran to the stairs where I found my mother lying at the bottom of the stairway moaning. I looked up, and Odette just looked at me before she ran down the stairs as I screamed for Logan."

"I ran out of the family room with the boys behind me. Mom was lying at the bottom of the stairs and Honor was with her holding her head in her lap. I called 911, mom was crying and said her leg hurt. Honor glared at Odette and asked her what had happened," Logan replied.

"Mate why were the two women arguing?" Finn asked surprised that Odette wasn't here with Logan.

"Who knows," Honor replied, "They have been arguing for the last two days. I don't think the Princess wants to be married to my brother and of course I can't blame her." Honor said looking at her brother. "They aren't in love, you three know that. So Logan why don't you end this charade. You should break the contract."

"Colin, please tell her I can't."

"She signed it, we are just waiting for your signature, man."

"What happens if you don't sign it?" Robert asked him.

"The Dynastic Plan will not happen, and my father will then go and look for another heiress for me to marry."

Honor was just about to say something when the doctor came out.

"Mr. Huntzberger, Mrs. Levine, I am Dr. O'Malley. Your mother is being taken to recovery now. We had to put some of the bones back in their normal alignment with special screws and a metal plate. She will need to be in the hospital overnight, and we will be giving her medication to keep her comfortable. I don't want you to be upset when you see that she has a cast on her leg. She will be in this cast for a while since this will take at least four weeks or longer to heal. "

"Doctor, my mom has a habit of drinking to self-medicate. I am concerned about the pain medication and the possibility that she will misuse the pills," Honor told him.

"Thank you. We will take that into consideration with our treatment. Right now your mother will be on some pretty strong sedatives. She should be able to return home, tomorrow and we will adjust her medication then. Will she be alone at home?"

"No we have staff in our home, and my father is on his way." Honor looked at her brother who sat there and didn't say anything. He was sitting there with a frown on his face and seemed very upset.

"I will have the nurse call your cell phone when she is in a room." Doctor O'Malley turned and left the waiting room.

"Hon, listen. I am going to have the guys drive me back to the house. I need to talk to Odette and find out exactly what happened. Then I am sending her back to Paris. Since they have been fighting so much, I don't want her around mom when she gets back from the hospital."

"Okay, Logan. I agree."

He put his arm on her shoulder and looked at her.

"Will you be okay here alone?"

"Yes, I am fine. Dad and Josh should be here shortly." She gave him a weak smile and Logan kissed his sister's cheek before he and the boys left for the elevator.

"What's going on Logan?" Robert asked him when they got into the elevator.

"I'm not sure, but Odette has been miserable since she has arrived. Colin, you saw her Friday at dinner. Yesterday they went dress shopping, and she and Shira have been sniping at each other."

"I thought your mother loved her?" Colin said.

"She loves her money and connections. Odette does not like my mother or my sister, but for some unknown reason, she will do whatever my father tells her to do."

Finn stood against the back of the elevator not saying anything.

"Your awfully quiet, Finn," Logan said looking at him.

"I'm just glad that I'm not in your shoes," he responded.


	25. Chapter 24 What's Next

**Chapter 24 What Next?**

After her father left, Rory finished her coffee and returned to her bedroom to change her clothes. As she was doing her hair, she decided she would tell Dean how she felt about him. Rory thought about last night and her day with Tristan. Every time Tristan touched, looked or kissed her she felt as if an electric current pulsed through her body. Rory was beginning to realize that whatever she felt with Tristan was not there with Dean. She hopes that she won't hurt Dean when she explains to him how she feels.

Rory heard the doorbell ring and quickly looked at her phone. She smiled when she noticed it was two o'clock. Dean was always on time, not like Logan who would show up unexpectedly whenever he wanted. She checked her hair and went to the door and opened it. Dean was smiling and handed her a take-out cup of coffee.

"Extra cream and sugar just the way you like it. I figured you could use it if you have been writing all day, and here are the mini cheeseburgers you like so much, I added a side of our smoked mac and cheese." Dean smiled and handed her the coffee carrier and bag of food.

"Come in Dean. Did you make these for me?"

"I did." Dean shrugged off his coat and hung it on the hall tree. He followed behind her as she walked to the kitchen with their food.

"Is your dad home?" he asked her.

"No, he's gone to the hospital to…." She wasn't able to finish because she felt Dean behind her. He put his arms around her waist and leaned in and kissed her neck.

"Ummm, Dean...what are you doing?" Rory shrugged her shoulders and tried to sidestep away, but he wouldn't let her. She turned around and pushed against his chest. He took his left hand that was wrapped in gauze and gently pushed a strand of hair from her face, with the back of his fingers he smoothly ran them down her face. Rory looked into his eyes than at his hand. She took his hand in hers and looked at him in surprise.

"Dean, what happened?"

Dean took a step back from her, as she held his left hand gently in the palm of her hand.

"Oh it's nothing, I got burned last night during a fire call. It happened when I was pulling someone out of the fire."

"Does it hurt much?"

"No, It's okay, Ror…" he took a step closer to her and put his thumb under her chin leaning down to kiss her. She turned her head, and he kissed the corner of her lips.

"Rory, what's the matter?"

Rory chewed on the flesh of her bottom lip thinking how she should start the conversation. She took his hand leading him to the family room where they sat down on the brown leather couch

"Dean, I think we should talk first," she said gently to him.

"Okay," he replied sitting back and putting his arm on the back of the couch behind her.

"Is there something wrong? I thought after the kiss the other night that we still had feelings for each other. Am I wrong?"

"No, it's ummm,..." she had trouble looking at him and turned her head away from him

"Rory," he said gently touching her face. She turned and looked at him.

"What's this about? You told me that you and Jess aren't together.."

"Jess and I are best friends we aren't together in a relationship, it's that... you know I just got out of a long painful relationship."

"Yea, I know. But I thought that it was over. When I kissed you I felt something, Ror, something that I had been missing for a long time."

"Well, you are a great kisser, the kiss was good."

"Good?"

"Great actually. Dean you really have improved since we were younger, but Dean, it's just that I can't get involved with you again."

"Why Rory? I still have feelings for you. Deep feelings. I am in love with you."

"I know you loved me, but Dean right now I am not in love with you."

He sat up straight and pulled away from her.

"So you don't love me."

"No, I'm not in love with you like I was when I was 19. I am thirty-three and we have been apart for fourteen years. Things have changed and I don't want to be like my mother."

"What does your mother have to do with this. Are you still in love with Logan?"

"I.. I don't know ….. when it comes to Logan ….it's hard to explain. Logan and I have been in a relationship on and off for fourteen years, and until I get things straightened out in my life, I can't get involved with you. I don't want to hurt you Dean. Can we be friends?"

A small tear slid down her face, and he gently reached out with his thumb and wiped it away. He sat there quietly wanting to pull her in his arms and tell her that he could make her forget him, that he loved her so much that soon she would feel the same way, but he hesitated. Dean had a feeling that there was more to this and he thought about the conversation that he heard Paris and Tristan having. He began to wonder if Rory had feelings for Tristan because it was obvious that he had a thing for her.

"Rory, do you feel the same way about Tristan?"

"Dean I appreciate how thoughtful you have been, bringing me flowers, food, checking on me and my grandmother. Tristan has been doing the same thing. It means so much to me and seeing you both after fourteen years it's just…." Rory didn't want to hurt his feelings, she could see the questions in his eyes.

She took his hand in hers and said, "Dean, Tristan and I never dated while I went to Chilton and when you and I broke up… he had already left to attend a military school. I never saw him again until I woke up in the hospital. You were my first… what we had was something very special. Dean, I like you, I really do. When we were younger, you were the greatest boyfriend. You were thoughtful, generous, protective, kind and strong. I wish that we had met now that we are older, and not when we were so young.. and we didn't have this history. I know if you hadn't been my first boyfriend I wouldn't be the person I am today. I like you as a friend, and I want to stay your friend. You taught me what safe feels like." *

 _**Direct quote from AYITL between Rory and Dean._

"What are you saying Rory?"

"I am saying that I do have feelings for you, just not the type of feelings that you have for me."

Dean was quiet for a moment. "Okay, I get it. So it's Tristan."

Dean looked at her and then stood up. He had to leave here before he made a fool of himself.

"Rory, I have to go."

'Will you call me?"

"Yeah, maybe later." He walked toward the door, and she followed. She handed him his coat and opened the door. He turned and walked out to his truck and never waved or said goodbye. He backed out of the driveway and left.

Rory shut the door and felt very confused. Her grandmother and father owned a publishing company, and she was going to inherit it, Colin McCrae works with her father, and if he realizes that she is Lorelai Hayden, he will tell Logan. Then Logan will find her again, he is engaged, and she has let him go. She loved Logan too much, the hurt from the miscarriage was still there. She needs to talk to someone, but she couldn't talk to Paris. She quickly tried to call Finn and got his voicemail.

"G'day, I'm not available to talk right now but if you are one of my Sheilas, leave me your number, and I will give you a tingle. Grrr."

"Finn this is me, I need someone to talk too. Please call me back when you get this message."

She didn't want to take the chance that Logan would hear it, so she quickly deleted it. There was only one person who would understand and that was her mother, grabbing her purse, jacket and her grandmother's car keys, she got into the car and left the house.

Rory got on the interstate and drove to Stars Hollow, she thought about Finn's message that Logan went to her home yesterday and she wondered if he would return to Stars Hollow today to look for her. If he was there what would she do or say? Would she tell him that she had lost the baby, their baby… would he want her back or would he turn to Odette, the chosen one. Except for Dean and Logan, Rory very little experience when it came to boyfriends. When she and Dean broke up, he just faded away until now. When Jess told her he loved her he left and went to California. She wondered if she hadn't gotten pregnant would she have gone back as soon as Logan returned. Rory slammed her hand on the steering wheel and began to cry. Damn Logan, it was all his fault. Why couldn't she hate him?

Rory was no longer the naive girl from Stars Hollow that Logan had met. Granted thanks to Dean, her first lover she wasn't a Mary. Logan had changed her too. She was still Rory Gilmore, but no longer naïve but very cautious.. Living in Logan's world in Yale and then traveling as a reporter changed her. She became skeptical, and no longer was flattered as easily as she once was. She didn't have many friends and the two men that she was very close to, besides Logan, she told them goodbye.

Today Dean told her he loved her, and she hurt his feelings because she couldn't love him back. The more she thought about it as she was driving, the angrier she became. How dare he be hurt, he left her first, he married Lindsay then he flirted with her and took her to bed telling her he made a mistake and used her to cheat on his wife. He never wanted to work for their relationship, and neither did Logan. Funny these two men were the same. Dean and Logan always wanted the easy way, not willing to work in their relationship and they expected her to be the one to be there for them. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She felt the tears slide down her cheek and used the back of her hand to wipe her face. She needed to get a grip before she saw her mother. If only Jess were here. She quickly hit the phone Bluetooth app in her car and said, "Call Jess." His phone rang four times before it went to voicemail.

"This is Jess. Leave a message."

Rory disconnected the call and found herself exiting the expressway for route 91 that would bring her into Stars Hollow. She slowed down as she approached the town of Stars Hollow and looked at the clock in the car. It was three on a Sunday afternoon and she wondered if her mother was at the Inn, at Luke's, or home. She decided to go to Luke's first to see if Luke or her mother were there.

She parked in front of the diner and walked inside. As the bell rang, Luke came out from the back.

"Rory, what are you doing here? Are you supposed to be driving?"

"It's okay Luke, I'm fine. I need to talk to mom; do you know where she is?"

"Yes, she should be at the Inn until four. Something about a luncheon that she and Sookie were putting on."

"Oh, I won't bother her then."

Rory then went to leave the diner, but Luke walked over to her and touched her arm.

"Ror come and sit down and have a cup of coffee. You look upset about something. Can you tell me what's wrong? Maybe I can help. ."

She sat down at the counter, and he gave her a cup of coffee.

"Have you eaten?"

"No"

"Okay, let me give you some pie. I made a pumpkin pie today. Here let me cut you a piece and give you extra whipped cream." Luke handed her the pie after he added more whipped cream. She looked at it and started to cry silently.

Luke walked around the counter and put his hand on his stepdaughter's shoulder.

"What's wrong?"

"It's everything. Logan, Dean, Jess, Dad, Tristan... I don't know what to do?"

"Logan, did he find you? You know he had the nerve to show up here in Stars Hollow looking for you yesterday?"

She looked at him shocked, "So Finn was right he did come here. I was hoping that what I heard was wrong. Did anyone tell them where I live now?"

"Don't worry, nobody told him where you were living, and your mother and I weren't here, so he's lucky or I would have told him off. So what is this about Jess, Dean, and Tristan?"

"No, it's Dean,. He…" Her hormones were all over the place, and she still hasn't had her period since the ectopic pregnancy.

"Dean, as in your old boyfriend Dean? Wait we saw Dean yesterday, what's going on? Are you two dating, because I thought for sure you and that doctor were dating."

"No, he stopped by to see me today..."

"Okay, you mentioned Jess? Are you two…." he pulled away from her looking her over to make sure she was okay and thinking about the idea of his nephew with Rory. That can't happen, can it? He was Rory's stepfather now, and Jess's uncle. They were related now, how would that work. Then he thought about Lorelai and how upset she will be if there is anything between them.

"Luke, Jess offered me a job, and my father offered me a job, but it's complicated, and then there is Tristan, Dean, and Logan."

Luke looked at Rory and could not understand what she was saying, she was just like her mother when she became upset, rambling, leaving off words. You had to be a master in the Gilmore Girls language to understand what was going on, so he decided to feed her first and call her mother. Lorelai would know what to do.

"Here go sit in the corner, the restaurant isn't busy right now. I will bring your coffee and pie over to that back table. No one will bother you there."

Luke led her to the table in the back corner of the diner away from the window and close to the back of the room.

Just then Rory's phone rang. She looked at it and saw it was Tristan.

"Luke I have to take this."

He nodded as she answered her phone and went outside, leaning against the building wall she answered her phone.

"Hello,'

"Mare, hey I finished my surgery so I thought I would shower and come over. I went to check on Gigi and she had left already with your father. Your grandmother wanted to know if you were coming in today."

Rory started to cry, "I'm not home, I'm in Stars Hollow.."

"Mare," he said cautiously, "Why are you in Stars Hollow? How did you get there?"

"I drove, and I'm at Luke's, I need to talk to my mother…"Rory sniffled.

"Mare, stay there, I'm going to hang up and leave now. I will be there in thirty minutes," he instructed her and then hung up before she could argue with him. Something was bothering her, enough for her to leave her home and stop working. He wondered if Logan appeared at her father's home.

Rory wiped her face with the sleeve of her coat and pushed away from the wall. She walked back into the diner. Luke heard the bell ring and hung up the phone. He followed her as she walked to the back table and he placed her pie and coffee cup in front of her. He then filled her cup.

"Is everything okay? I called your mom, and she is on her way."

"Yea, I'll be okay once I talk to mom. Thanks, Luke," Rory replied quietly sipping her coffee. She began to pick up a fork and took a small bite out of the pie, chewing it slowly thinking. She was sipping her coffee when the bell rang in the diner, and her mother walked in.

Lorelai looked anxiously at Luke and walked to the counter, he indicated with his eyes where Rory was sitting. She walked over to the table put her purse down and then shrugged out of her coat. Rory looked up and immediately jumped up and threw her arms around her mother.

"Hey sweetie, what's wrong? What happened? Are you supposed to be driving? Does your dad know that you are here?" Lorelai peppered her with questions.

"Everything. Mom. Jess called and offered me a job and told me before I decide that I should talk to you," she began.

"He offered you a job? That's great isn't it?" Lorelai asked her not sure that this was the reason she was upset. She currently did not have a job and if Jess is offering her a job with a salary this was good news. "Hon this isn't why you are upset is it."

"Well….no…. I was offered another job by Grandma and Dad and they would like me to go and work for Hayden and Sons running one of their companies."

"Oh, so you will be traveling again?" Lorelai asked not quite sure what Rory wanted her to say.

"With Jess's job, there would be very little traveling I could stay in this area and work digitally. With Dad's and grandma's company, the headquarters is in Hartford, the problem is I have no experience in working with a multimillion-dollar business."

"So, what's the problem?" she asked her confused. "I mean Rory are they going to pay you because a month ago you were working you're but off for Taylor on the Stars Hollow Gazette and you weren't getting paid."

"I will be paid. Jess has written up a contract for me. I would get my own column, with benefits 401K and I can choose my articles. With Dad's offer comes a corporate office, title, but there is more...Dean came over today and told me that he was still in love with me, but mom..."

Luke came over with a mug of coffee for Lorelai and the coffee pot to refill Rory's cup. He looked at his stepdaughter and was worried about here. When Rory arrived, she was upset rambling on about Logan, Dean, Jess, and Tristan. Luke liked Tristan, the young doctor, and in his gut, he felt that Tristan was the right match for her. He was successful, respected, and had a great career ahead of him.

After meeting Tristan, Luke checked into him and found out that Tristan, went from the military academy to one of the most respected Ivy League colleges and paid for it himself through the ROTC program. He knew that Richard would like this young man too. He knew his wife was leery about him, but he reminded her that he was not the same high school kid that was kicked out of Chilton.

"Ror, what about Tristan? You and Tristan seem to hit it off at breakfast." Luke asked her as he poured her a cup of coffee.

"Luke, Mom it's just …. Rory looked at them both and shook her head taking a deep breath..

"Dean has been checking on me, bringing me flowers, giving me rides to the hospital. The other day he leaned over in the car and kissed me... the kiss was nice, but it didn't give me sparks, it was like when I kiss Jess. Mom, I don't know…. maybe I haven't gotten over Logan yet, but I talked to Dad and….."

"Okay, so you kissed Dean, and there were no sparks. So did you feel sparks with Logan?" Luke asked her.

Luke understood what she was saying. He remembered when he kissed Nicole, it was nice, comfortable but when he kisses Lorelai there is that magical element that seems to go through their bodies. It's what Richard has said, "Once you kiss a Gilmore, no one else can compare."

Both Lorelai and Rory looked up at Luke and smiled. "Wait ….you understand sparks?" Lorelai asked her husband.

Luke blushed and said, "Of course I understand what she is saying there is that feeling, it's special…."

Lorelai smirked and stood up and got close to her husband, "So do you feel those sparks when you kiss me?" She hovered her lips close to him, and Luke bit his bottom lip.

"Lorelai…"

Lorelai placed her hands on her husband's abs and slowly moved them down to his pants buckled and then let her right-hand slide between his legs.

Rory started to blush and giggle.

"Lorelai, not here," he told her and put the coffee pot on the table and grabbed her arms.

"Okay… upstairs now?" she asked him huskily.

Rory looked at the two of them, "Dirty...get a room you two." Lorelai was leaning against Luke's chest with her hands around his neck ready to kiss him, she looked over her shoulder and smiled.

"Ok, so tell me when you kissed Logan did you get sparks?"

"No, kissing Logan was different. Kissing Logan was like an adventure. Everything with Logan was like an adventure, but it wasn't…"

"It wasn't like?" Lorelai asked her daughter trying to get her to respond.

"Tristan…" Rory said and looked up, and there stood Tristan, in his scrubs wearing his black leather coat.

"You get sparks when you kiss Tristan? Bible Boy?" Lorelai said surprised.

Tristan couldn't help hearing the conversation, and his face lit up in a bright smile. Rory quickly got up out of her chair and ran over to him.

"Mare, are you okay? You sounded upset so I came right from the hospital I was worried.."

Tristan looked up and saw Luke standing beside Lorelai at the table where Rory just left. He nodded to Luke and gave him a raised eyebrow, and a smirk to let him know he heard what Lorelai said. Tristan kissed Rory on the cheek, and he put his arm around her waist as they walked over towards the table.

"Hello Lorelai, Luke. are you both okay?"

Tristan asked as he pulled a chair out for Rory and then pulled one out for himself so he could sit beside her.

"We are fine, Tristan, would you like some pie, a cherry Danish, a cruller or some coffee? I can bring it right over. "

"Coffee will be good, thanks. " Tristan replied as he took Rory's hand in his.

"Great, I will bring you a cup of coffee. We will be right over at the counter. Let us know if you two need anything?" Luke said, "Come on Lorelai." Lorelai looked at her daughter and smirked.

"Luke I can't believe it. After all these years, Tristan, aka Satan's Spawn, aka Bible Boy, she is in love with him."

"Lorelai, she didn't say she was in love with him."

"No, she implied that there are sparks between them... Luke look at them. Look how she is looking at him, and he is looking at her," Lorelai whispered to him.

"So what do you think the problem is?" Luke said.

"Luke think…. Think how long it took us to finally admit that we loved each other and when I wasn't ready you weren't ready, then you were ready, and I was angry… I don't want her to make the same mistakes I made and waited so long for you," she leaned over and kissed him on the lips.

"I get it, but I don't understand what the problem is… if she feels something for Tristan then what does Dean have to do with anything?"

"She doesn't want to hurt anyone...but I don't understand why she is confused about the job offers? There must be more to it." Lorelai and Luke looked over to the young couple and watched them.

Tristan gently caressed a tear that was dripping down Rory's face and asked, "Babe, what happened?"

Taking a few deep breaths, she wanted to tell him but didn't want him to become angry at Dean. Tristan gave her a small smile and put his forehead against hers.

"Mare. I'm here now, can you tell me what's wrong? What is bothering you."

"Tris, can we go somewhere to talk?"

"Why can't we talked here? " he asked her gently moving a strand of hair off her face and tucking it behind her ear.

"It's not private, people might come in …."

"Okay," he said as he walked over to the counter where Luke and Lorelai were and placed a twenty on the counter.

"She wants to go somewhere to talk. I will call you and let you know how she is later." Tristan told Luke and Lorelai.

Luke pushed the money back at him smiling, "Your money isn't any good here. Just call us and have her call Lorelai later."

"I will," he gently squeezed Lorelai's shoulder and walked back to the table and taking her by the hand she got up, and they walked hand in hand out the door.

"Mare, where would you like to go?" he asked her as they stood on the sidewalk in front of the diner. Rory looked up and down the street, it seemed quiet for a Sunday, and she noticed that the gazebo was empty.

"Let's go over to the gazebo. I need you to hold me.."

"Okay,, " he said and put his arm around her. She leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked to the gazebo. They climbed up inside and sat down on the bench.

"So what's going on. Why did you come to Stars Hollow?"

"I needed to talk to my mother."

"What about? You sounded okay when we spoke this morning."

"Tris I don't know what to do. Dad told me today that grandma is changing her will so I will inherit the Hayden Publishing business, and the Huntzbergers are trying to buy them out."

"Do you think that is why Logan is looking for you?"

"I don't know, but Dad and grandma don't like the Huntzbergers, and they don't want to sell. So Dad said that he recently hired someone to help me run the business. Then there's Jess's job offer. I really want to do that job, and I know I would be good at it and I wouldn't have to travel much, I could find a place in Hartford … then Luke confirmed that Logan was here looking for me and there's Dean, and us… what are we doing Tristan? Are we going to fast?"

"I understand you don't want to work for your dad, but what does Dean have to do with this?"

"He kissed me. He stopped over today, and I told him that I cared for him as a friend, that I didn't have the same feelings as I had when we were kids. Dean got all quiet, he didn't say goodbye. He just left."

Tristen inhaled deeply and sat up straighter on the bench. He looked at her and said,

"He kissed you? When? Did you kiss him back?"

Rory sat up and looked at him. She gently touched his face with her hand. "Before you and I kissed, he brought me to the hospital, and I didn't kiss him back today. He tried to kiss me today, but I turned my head."

"But you have kissed him," he asked her standing up and walking to the railing of the gazebo.

"Tristan, Yes, but that was before you kissed me. But it's not the same. She walked over to him and touched his shoulder. "When I kissed him, it was nice, but when I kiss you, I feel something different. "

"Sparks?" he asked her with a grin.

"Yes, but…"

Tristan turned and put his hands on her shoulders searching her face. He asked, "But?"

"I'm afraid."

"Mare, what are you afraid of?" He gently pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. Rory felt that static again, that crackling in the air that always seems to happened whenever they were together. She wanted to melt into his arms, but she was frightened.

"I'm afraid I'm broken, that I won't be able to trust you. You will do things, and then I will begin to compare you to Logan. I will give you my heart, and then some beautiful girl will come by, and you will no longer want me. Tris, you always have girls around you. Connor told me that you never dated anyone for very long. This will happen again, and then you will leave… they always leave."

Her dark blue eyes began to leak a tear that streamed down her face. Followed by another one, and then another until a steady stream of her tears flowed down her cheek releasing the sadness that she had been holding in since she broke up with Logan. Tristan pulled her into his chest gently rubbing her hair and kissing the top of her head. He held her in silence, rocking her slowly as her tears soaked his shirt. A tiny lapse in her crying let him pull her away, and he placed his hand on the back of her hand and his thumb on her chin. Blinking her lashes which were heavy with tears, she looked up at him. He bent his face close to hers and whispered, "I'm not leaving, Mare. I was young, stupid when I left before. And for the other guys, except for Logan, that is all in the past. You and I are here now, and we need to look toward the future, our future. Do you trust me?"

Rory looked at this handsome kind man and wondered how she could be afraid, but she had to be honest about her feelings "I want to…"

"Then that is where we will start. We will begin by trusting each other. We will take everything slow. I lost you once. I won't do that again." Tristan pulled Rory into his arms and kissed her tenderly on the lips."

He put his forehead on hers and said, "Sparks, huh?"

"Yeah, sparks."

He smirked and put his arm on her shoulder, "Let's go back to Hartford. You and I can sit down together, and we can talk to your father after we look over the Pro/Con list."

"What about my grandmother's car?" she asked him concerned about leaving it here.

"I'll talk to Luke and see if we can leave your grandmother's car here, then tomorrow your dad and I can come and pick it up," he suggested.

"But I should bring it back…" she interrupted.

"Babe, I prefer that you not drive until the doctor gives you the okay." He put his arm around her waist as they began to leave the Gazebo.

"Mare we will go slow and work through this, I promise. First we need to find out about the company and second we need to find out why Logan is looking for you."

Rory looked up at Tristan and bit her bottom lip and nodded. She knew why Logan was looking for her, it was because she told him it was over. No one ever walks away from a Huntzberger especially Logan, and he will continue until she confronts him. She just needs to get stronger.

Tristan leaned down and kissed her tenderly on the lips. Taking her by the hand, they walked across the street towards his car. He opened the car door and kissed her before she got in. Leaving her in the car, he walked back into the diner.

Luke was standing behind the counter taking an order from Kirk who was sitting beside Lorelai.

"Everything okay?" he asked, and Lorelai looked at him anxiously.

"Yeah, everything will be okay, I am going to take her home now. Will it be alright if we leave her grandmother's car here? I can have one of my friends bring me back tomorrow to pick it up."

"That's fine. Luke and I will come in tomorrow and bring it back," Lorelai said. "I want to talk to Christopher too. Tris, please look after her. I know that you two have some history, but she's my little girl, and I worry about her."

Tristan looked at her parents and said, "I understand. Lorelai, I messed up once before, and I don't plan on doing that again. She means the world to me."

Lorelai smiled at Tristan. "Thanks. Call me if she needs anything."

"I promise I will. Oh and here is my private cell number, in case you need to get in touch with me, or if Logan shows up again.."

Luke took the card from Tristan and nodded. He knew that he was serious about Rory. He felt a kinship with him, something he never felt between Dean or Logan.

"Thanks, we will see you tomorrow," Lorelai said. Tristan handed the keys to Luke and walked out of the diner. ,

Tristan climbed into his car and looked at Rory and said, "Everything will be fine. I spoke to your mom and Luke and they will be bringing the car back tomorrow."

"Thank you, Tris." He looked at her and pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed it.

Lorelai and Luke stood at the diner window and watched as Tristan drove off.


	26. Chapter 25 Sparks

**Chapter 25 Sparks**

Ethan and Connor left the hospital after their shift going directly to the Pig's Eye for food and drinks. It had been a busy day in the ER and both men were tired and hungry. Ethan tried calling Tristan from the locker room before they left, but he only got his voice mail. As they left Ethan's car to go into the Pig's Eye, they saw Jeff, the surgical nurse that often worked with Tristan leaving the bar.

"Jeff, have you seen Doc?" Ethan asked.

"Hi, the last time I saw Doc he was in the surgeon's lounge talking on his phone. I saw him grab his coat and leave in a hurry."

Connor looked at Ethan, and both men were concerned. It was unlike Tristan to leave without talking to one of them.

"I'll call Paris, and you try his phone again, " Connor told Ethan, and both men walked to the side of the building to make their call.

Ethan dialed Tristan's phone again. His calls were going directly to his voice mail which meant that he turned his phone off. It was now close to seven, so he decided to send him a text.

 _ **Ethan - Doc. This is highly unusual for you not to answer your phone. We are heading to the Pigs Ear, call and catch up with us there. EW**_

"Any luck with Paris?" Ethan asked Connor.

"No her phone goes directly to voicemail. So I called the hospital, and they said she was in surgery for another hour. I asked if she was assisting Dr. Dugray, they said no that he left around four pm," Ethan responded as he slipped his phone back in his pocket. "We might as well go in and get some food."

The two men opened the door and entered the bar. It was busier than usual that evening, and they weaved their way around the tables and the crowd. Dean and Mac were sitting at the bar drinking a beer and talking with Sam. Clay stood behind the bar serving them.

"Forrester, didn't you have plans tonight with your old high school girlfriend," Clay asked Dean bringing him another beer.

"No, I went to see her at her grandmother's house, brought her food and coffee, but it didn't go as planned," he replied as he took a swig of his beer and pressed his lips together. He looked away from his friends and listened to the music playing on the radio, it was Bruno Mars song _**When I Was Your Man,**_ and it was making Dean depressed.

"Hey Clay, change the music, will you? This song is depressing, " Dean told Clay.

"Sure thing Boss. Hey Morgan, can you put some upbeat music on?"

""Will do," she said and walked over to the CD Player and added a new CD. She put on the CD by Blake Shelton, and the first song was **Boy's Round Here**.

"That better boss?" she said walking over to Dean, Clay, Mac, and Sam.

"Much better. Thanks," Dean said and gave her a grin. He picked up his beer and took another swig from the bottle.

Ethan and Connor made their way to the busy bar and looked around. They found a spot not far from where the men were sitting. Ethan smiled when he saw the pretty blonde behind the bar talking to the owners.

"Dean, I told you when you brought her into the hospital that day, thirteen years is a long time for two people to reconnect. You told me that you broke up with her because you had nothing in common. What made you think you had things in common now?" Mac asked his partner.

"Rory was the only girl I ever loved, and I was hoping that she still had the same feelings. I was only 18 when we broke up, and I married Lindsay as a rebound. I was still married to Lindsay when I hooked up with Rory. She was a freshman at Yale and, well I was her first." Dean mumbled this part and blushed. Mack looked at his partner in surprise, "You mean you had an affair while you were married with your high school girlfriend?"

"Yea, not one of my proudest moments. Anyway, I figured things are different now after all this time, I believed fate brought us together again, maybe this time it would work. Something happened, and I think it has to do with that Huntzberger guy."

Ethan and Connor stood there at the bar waiting for Morgan to walk over and couldn't help but overhear the conversation.

"That's Forester, he's talking about Doc's Rory," Connor said quietly to Ethan.

Ethan nodded. Morgan, a honey blonde with hair in a long French braid to her waist, came over to the two handsome doctors.

"What can I get you boys?"

Ethan looked at her and couldn't resist flirting with her. She was the type of girl that he had fantasies about. Morgan was different than his up-type fiancée.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, you look beautiful tonight, " Ethan said as he leaned closer on the bar and flirted with her.

"Cut the crap Dr. Whyles, what would you like to drink?" she asked smiling at Connor.

"What are you offering?" he flirted back

"I'll have a Sam Adams in the bottle," Connor said ignoring his friend.

"Dr. Whyles?"

"Give me a shot of Jameson and a Sam Adams."

Realizing this was an unusual request from him she asked. "Rough night, Doc?"

"Yes last few nights have been rough. You wouldn't want to make it better?" he gave her his dazzling smile and he winked at her.

Not many women could resist Dr. Whyles especially when he smiles, and his brown eyes twinkled. She shook her head, blowing him a kiss she turned and walked back towards the fireman and EMTs at the end of the bar. She handed Dean another beer and patted his hand.

"Looks like you could use a backup." Morgan then pulled out two more cold beers from the cooler for Dr. Whyles and Dr. Ross.

"Thanks," he said to her. Dean then shook his head and continued talking to Sam, Clay and Mac.

"I don't get it. When I asked Rory if she was still in love with her ex, she said she was confused; she loved me, but she was not in love with me. Then she told me that she wants to be friends," Dean said staring off in space.

"That's rough getting put in the friend zone," Clay responded.

"Morgan," Sam turned to her and asked, "What does it mean when a girl you used to date wants to be friends."

"It means she wants to be friends. Did she just have a bad breakup? If so she needs space. Give it to her Dean. She must like you if she wants to be friends." Morgan replied to the men as she walks toward the two doctors. She pulled out a shot glass and poured a shot of Jameson in the glass and handed it to Ethan along with his beer.

"Yeah, I guess..." Dean replied sitting hunched over on the bar stool. He took another swig of his beer wondering if he should stay here and drink away his sorrows or go home.

Ethan took his shot as he listened to the EMTs and firefighters at the bar. He nudged Connor, and they took their beers and walked over to them.

"Guys, I want to say thanks for all your help out there. The last few nights have been rough, and we would have lost more lives if it wasn't for the EMTs. Morgan, please put their drinks on my tab."

Morgan smiled at Dr. Whyles and Dean, Sam, Mac, while Clay saluted them with their drinks. Ethan drank his shot and then patted Dean on his back. Taking their beers with them Connor and Ethan turned and walked over to an empty table that wasn't far from the door or the bar.

Ethan's phone buzzed, he pulled it out of his pocket and read the message.

 _ **Tristan. - I'm with Mare, having dinner with her now, maybe we will stop later. Doc**_

Ethan read the message to Connor.

"Well that's a good sign, maybe she is not putting Tristan in the friend zone," Connor replied.

"Maybe, or if she is then I have a shot with her," Ethan smiled at him.

"Cut the crap Ethan. After the problems Tristan has had the last few years, it is good to see that he is finally happy."

"Just saying… you do know I have to keep my options open," Ethan responded snickering.

One of the pretty waitresses wearing a tight Pigs Eye t-shirt came over to take their order. Ethan immediately began flirting with her, she was new and flirted right back with him. The two men ordered the pig wings, burgers and another beer. They sat there talking and looking around the room when Logan, Finn, Robert, and Colin walked in. Logan recognized Ethan immediately and walked over to him.

"Dr. Whyles, right?"

"Yes. Can I help you?" Ethan asked not recognizing him.

"I am Logan Huntzberger, you helped take care of my mother Shira Huntzberger earlier today."

"Oh yes, how is she doing?" Ethan said taking a drink.

"I just want to say thank you for your help today in the ER. She is resting comfortably, and Dr. O'Malley said she can go home in a few days. She will need physical therapy but should be up and walking in a few weeks."

"Good, I'm glad I could help." Ethan smiled at him.

"Can I buy you another drink?" Logan asked.

"Thanks, but that won't be necessary. Tonight two is my limit since I have to be back at the hospital tomorrow morning. "

"Thanks again for all your help and if there is anything you need, just let me know." Logan patted Ethan on the shoulder then walked over to the bar where Colin, Finn, and Robert were standing.

Finn was standing beside Robert and said, "I thought we weren't buying drinks for him anymore."

"I think with what happened today with Odette, Shira, and Mitchum, Logan could use a drink with his food," Robert responded then turned to Morgan putting in their drink orders. Finn turned away and walked over to Colin who found an empty table not far from where Dean was. It also happened to be a few tables away from where Ethan and Connor were sitting. Robert brought four shot glasses to the table and a bottle of scotch.

"Sorry, they don't have the Macallan here, but this is pretty good. He said pouring it in everyone's glass. Here's to the Dark Lord and your mother, may she have a quick recovery." Robert raised his glass, and they all clinked glasses. Finn took a shot and quickly drank it. He then got up and headed towards the bar.

"Where are you going Finn?" Logan asked when he saw Finn get up.

"Be right back, Mate," Finn said walking to the bar. The men watched Finn as he flirted with Morgan and placed an order with her.

"Logan, what is your plan, still sending Odette back by plane tomorrow?" Colin asked him as he poured them all another shot.

"Yes, it seems strange that my mother fell after Honor heard them argue at the top of the stairs," Logan said taking another shot of the scotch and wincing.

"Did you talk to your father about it?" Colin asked him.

"No, not yet. Honor was going to talk to him. He likes Odette, and if I say anything against her, he will make an excuse for her behavior."

Logan started to pick up his drink when Finn came back and handed him a glass of club soda.

"What's this Finn?" Logan asked him.

"If you are going to drink mate, drink this too. It will make you feel better tomorrow. Trust me."

Logan looked at the glass and set it on the table and took another shot of scotch looking over at the firefighters sitting at the end of the bar.

"What'cha looking at mate?" Flinn asked him taking a drink of his club soda.

Logan looked at Finn and then back at the bar.

"Hey, do you recognize the men at the bar, one of them looks so familiar. I just can't place him."

"You probably saw them at the hospital, since they are EMT's," Robert said as he went to pour everyone another drink in their glasses. Finn put his hand over his shot glass and shook his head.

A pretty waitress came over to take their order and began to flirt with Finn. Colin, Logan, and Robert quickly put in order of burgers. She winked at Finn and purred, "What can I get for you handsome."

"Nothing luv," he responded.

He really wasn't interested in eating or drinking. He had been thinking about Rory and Tristan and wondered why she hasn't answered his text.

Robert looked at him in concern. "What's up Finn? You never refuse a beautiful ladies advances, or food."

"Mates, I have an early call tomorrow, have to head into the city. Logan give me a tingle tomorrow and let me know how your mom is doing." Finn quickly drank the rest of his club soda and stood up and left the pub.

"What's gotten into him?" Logan asked when Finn walked out of the bar.

"He isn't drinking as much anymore," Colin told Logan, "He is focusing on his career and helping his father with the family business."

"Hmph." Logan sat back and took another drink from his glass.

Hannah, a pretty redhead, walked over to Ethan's table with their order.

"Where's our waitress?" Ethan asked Hannah.

"You mean Mallory? She is in the back with her boyfriend. Don't worry she will be back out shortly."

Connor started laughing, and Ethan scowled. Connor looked over at the table of the three men drinking the scotch and talking.

"That blond over there, Logan Huntzberger, why do you think Paris compared him with Doc?" Connor said to Ethan.

Ethan took a bit out of another pigs wing "I can't see what she saw in him," he mumbled through his food.

"I think Doc shouldn't come here tonight with Rory since he is here drinking. I don't think it would be good for them. Especially how jealous Doc can get." Connor told Ethan. Ethan opened up his phone and sent Tristan another message.

 _ **Connor -**_

 _ **Doc, don't bother coming. Rory's ex is here. CR**_

**************. **************. **************. **************

Rory and Tristan were sitting at the table with Chris and Gigi enjoying a pizza from Angelina's Pizza. Gigi was telling Rory what happened to Sam and how she went to the hospital.

"That sounds scary, Gig. You were very brave, and I am glad Tris saw you sitting in a hospital all alone."

Gig smiled at Tristan and then back at her sister. "I felt better after he talked to me."

Rory reached over and took Tristan's hand in hers and squeezed it.

"Seems like you came to the rescue for both of Hayden's girls today," Rory said to him.

Christopher looked at his daughter and raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean Rory?"

"I took Grandma's car to Stars Hollow, I needed to talk to mom. Tristan called when he was finished with his surgery to let me know he would be coming here, and I was in Stars Hollow. He could tell I was upset, so he drove out... oh, Grandma's car is still there, by the way."

Chris looked at her with concern, "Rory, you're not supposed to be driving…"

"I already spoke to her about that , Chris. So I spoke with Luke and he offered to bring the car back here tomorrow," Tristan explained.

"Rory, if something was bothering you and you were that upset why couldn't you call or come talk to me? Was this about our conversation this morning?"

"Not completely Dad, something else happened after you left." She looked up at her father and then over at Tristan. " Dean came over after you left ,and I took your advice. I explained how I felt, but it didn't end well," Rory whispered.

"Come here Mare." Tristan pulled her in his arms and tenderly gave her a kiss

"Yuck, " Gigi said making Tristan, Christopher, and Rory laugh.

"Well I guess it worked out okay for Tristan," Chris said with a smile. Rory looked at her father and blushed whispering, "Maybe."

Tristan put his lips by her ear and whispered, "Sparks."

Rory giggled and took another bite of her pizza pushing him away with her shoulder.

Tristan phone buzzed again, and he looked down at it.

"Is it the hospital?" Rory asked him.

"No, it is just Ethan and Connor they want us to meet them at the Pigs Ear. I left fast, and I never told them where I was going, so they have been calling me all evening."

"Do you want to go?" she asked him.

"Not unless you want to go," he told her.

Not really," she told him thinking about Dean and how they left things.

Looking around the table, Gigi noticed the silence. Standing up and throwing her paper plate that she had her pizza on away she suggested, "How about some dessert?"

Gigi got up and went to the freezer where she took out the four cartons of Ben and Jerry's ice cream that Eunice bought this week.

Rory's eyes got big and grinned, "Oooh, Chunky Monkey, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Half Baked, and Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream, I like your choices of ice cream little sister, " Rory told her.

Gigi gave her sister a big grin and went to the drawer grabbing four spoons and put them on the table. The two sisters each picked up a spoon and started digging into the Chocolate chip Cookie dough ice cream.

"You know I always thought it was a Gilmore thing to dig into the carton of Ben and Jerry's like that, but Lorelai even has influence over Gigi. You can tell these two are sisters."

Tristan started to laugh as he watched to two girls take a big spoonful of ice cream each out of the carton and lick their lips. Tristan leaned over and lick Rory's lips.

"Don't you want some?" Rory asked him.

"No, I'd rather lick it off of you," he whispered in her ear. Rory started giggling and then slapped his arm.

"Dirty," she whispered back. Tristan waggled his eyebrows at her. They both started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Gigi asked Rory and Tristan.

Chris looked at his oldest daughter and Tristan and smiled. He remembered what it was like to be young and in love and he definitely knew that it was heading that way between Rory and Tristan.

"Gig, I think it's time for you to go upstairs and get ready for bed, it's almost nine. You have had a busy day, and you have school tomorrow," Christopher said to his youngest daughter.

Gigi stood up and took her spoon and put it in the dishwasher. "Good night," she told her father and hugged him.

"I am tired," she admitted. She went over and hugged her sister and then shyly said, "Good night Dr. Dugray, and thank you."

"You're welcome," Tristan said and smiled at her.

Christopher picked up the other three cartons of ice cream and put them in the freezer following his youngest out of the kitchen. Before he left, he turned to them and said, "I'm going to be in the office checking my email. Rory do you need a ride tomorrow to your doctor's appointment?" Christopher asked.

"Thanks Dad, but Paris offered to take me. I will ask her to drop me off at your office after my appointment as long as it is okay with you," she told him.

"That's fine. We will talk more tomorrow when you stop by the office and if you could let me know what time Luke and your mother are bringing the car back I would appreciate it. I want to be here so I can talk to them."

"Is everything okay?" she asked him.

"It will be. Good night you two, lock up before you go to bed," Chris said and then left them alone.

"Good night Christopher," Tristan said.

Rory stood up and put the carton of cookie dough back into the freezer. She took the spoon and walked over to the sink. Tristan stood up and walked up behind her and placed his hands on her hips. Rory felt his hot breath on her neck and the tender brush of his lips. His right-hand slips around her waist and pulls her back into his hard chest, she feels her resistance begin to crumble. She closes her eyes and leans back into him.

"Do you want to stay here or go to my place," he whispered into her ear.

She felt a vibration go off in his pants pocket and she began to giggle.

"First sparks now vibration," she teased, "Your phone has incredible timing."

"Ignore that, now where were we," he whispered, turning her around kissing her hard on the lips. His phone vibrated again, and she pulled away.

"You better get that," she said and leaned against the sink counter. Tristan raised his eyebrows at her and reached into the pocket of his scrubs and pulled out his phone.

He looked down at the message –

 _ **Ethan -**_

 _ **Doc, you owe us drinks and dinner. E W**_

Rory looked at him and smiled, "Is everything okay?"

"Just perfect, it's Ethan again reminding me I owe him dinner and drinks. What a royal pain."

His phone vibrated again, and he looked at it. "Sorry Mare, this time it's Paris, I better answer it."

"Yea," he answered.

"Why are your two cohorts bothering me while I am in surgery? I don't have time to babysit you Tristan," she yelled into the phone.

Tristan held the phone away from his ear so that Rory could hear it. Rory took the phone from him and said, "Hi Paris."

"Oh, Rory is everything okay?" Paris asked with concern in her voice.

"Yes, everything is fine. Is everything okay with you?"

"Yes, just tell Tristan to stop having his two clowns call me whenever he goes MIA. I am not his babysitter."

"Will do, anything else Paris?"

"Yes, I'll be over tomorrow morning to pick you up. I need to talk to you."

"Okay, is it about Jess?"

"Maybe," she said.

"Don't worry, Jess really likes you."

"How do you know? Did you talk to him? Did you call him and ask him if he liked me? Great now he is going to think I'm desperate, clingy and out of control. He will think I told you to call him like we were in high school, " ranted Paris

"Paris, you are being hysterical. I don't have time for your drama now, I have other things I need to worry about. Can we talk about it tomorrow?" Rory asked her.

"Okay, I will be there around nine, so you better be ready."

"I'll be ready," Rory answered back and quickly saying goodbye, she hit the end button and handed the phone back to Tristan.

Rory took a step away from the kitchen counter and put her arms around Tristan's neck.

"Now where were we," she whispered, "Oh I know… sparks." Tristan pulled her against his chest and dipped his head, their eyes locked before he grazed her lips with his.

After Ethan and Connor finished eating, Ethan checked his email again and saw that there was no message from Tristan.

"I don't think they are coming," Ethan mumbled and went up to the bar to pay their tab. Smirking to himself, Connor watched Ethan flirt with Morgan as she did her best to ignore him. He never noticed when Clara and Cassandra walked into the bar. Clara saw Connor sitting alone and walked over to him.

"Hi Dr. Ross. Did you just get here?" she asked him.

"No we just finished eating. I'm waiting for Ethan to stop flirting with the bar tender and pay our bill. It's been a long forty-eight hours, are you on duty tomorrow?" he asked her.

"Yes, I'm on a twelve-hour shift tomorrow, noon till midnight. How about you?"

"I will be there around eleven. Maybe we can meet and have coffee or something," Connor suggested..

"I'd like that. Would you like to meet at the coffee shop?" Clara asked

"Perfect, give me your phone and I will type in my number."

Clara handed her phone over to him and Connor quickly typed his number in her contacts.

"Call me when you get in," Connor said winking at her.

Ethan came back and nodded hello to Clara as Connor handed her phone back to her.

"Clara I will see you tomorrow," Connor told her..

"I'm looking forward to it," she responded.

She left their table and walked to the bar where her brother was sitting. Clara put her hand on her brother's shoulder. Dean smiled and moved over a spot so she could sit next to him and his partner Mac.

"What was that all about?" Ethan asked Connor.

"Nothing," Connor responded as the two of them walked out the door.

Clara turned from her seat and watched as the two doctors walked out of the bar. Cassandra whispered in her ear. "I think he likes you."

Clara smiled and didn't say anything. She didn't want her brother to know that she had feelings for one of the doctors. Dean was a very protective older brother and he didn't like seeing her date anyone that he didn't approve first.

Colin, Logan, and Robert continued to eat their meal and drink their scotch, when finally Colin stood up.

"Listen, tomorrow is Monday , and I have to be in the office early before I leave for Boston. I'm heading home, do you need a ride Logan?"

"Yeah, I have to get going too," Robert added.

"Thanks Colin, I do need a ride. Robert, I will call you, so we can make plans on how I can find Ace, " Logan said finishing another shot of the scotch.

Robert looked at Colin and then at Logan. "Logan, I hate to say it, but give it up. I think she is in the wind."

"Maybe you're right, or maybe you're wrong, but I know she is nearby. I can feel it," Logan said not ready to give up her.

The three men threw money on the table to pay for their food and then walked out the door. Hannah went over to clear the table after they left. She was surprised that they left $200 for a fifty-dollar check. She cashed out their bill and put the change in the tip jar. The girls will be happy when they split the tips tonight.

After Logan said goodbye to Colin, he walked into his father's home. Logan entered the living room walking directly to the liquor cart oblivious to the people in the room. His father was sitting in the room with Josh and Honor.

"Where have you been?" Mitchum asked him looking upset.

"Having dinner, and where have you been… or better still how long did you stay at the hospital with mom?" he asked his father.

"She's resting, and I stayed awhile."

"He stayed only twenty minutes, asking her questions and quizzing her," Honor said scowling at her father. Mitchum scowled at Honor. He didn't like it when his children questioned him.

"Where's Odette?" Logan asked thinking that his father was expecting him to ask about her.

"Odette left for France about twenty minutes ago. She told me that you told her to leave because you didn't want your mother aggravated by her. Why did you do that?. "

"Mom has enough to deal with without Odette arguing with her. You weren't here the two of them have been fighting all weekend," Logan paused then looking at his father he continued, "So when do you want me to return to London?"

"I don't. I am putting you in charge of the Hayden account so you will need to stay here. With Mrs. Hayden ill, this will be the perfect time for us to acquire the publishing company and I know you can convince her son to sell. The headquarters for the publishing company is here in Hartford so you can work out of our Hartford office. With your marriage to Odette and purchasing the Hayden Publishing companies, we will monopolize the publishing companies both on the east coast and in London. You and your sister can also continue the networking here in Hartford. Logan you can attend the Winter Carnival and the ball. Honor, Josh, I want you both to attend those functions as well. Honor here is your chance to become more active on the committees here in Hartford, start by taking your mother's place on the Winter Carnival committee," Mitchum ordered his children.

"Where are you going?" Logan asked him as he drank from his glass.

"I'm returning to London and then France to talk to the Chanéac to see if I can straighten up this mess between Shira and Odette."

"So you won't be here for Thanksgiving again?" Honor asked him.

"I don't know, why?" Mitchum asked her.

"Because your family will be here this year, Uncle Werner, Aunt Meredith, Aunt Amelia and Uncle Alec are arriving for Thanksgiving. Grandpa arranged it with mother reminding her that it was her duty to hold a family Thanksgiving here at the house," she said scowling at her father.

"Right, right she did mention it to me, I'll try to get back," he told her as he glanced at his watch.

"Father, I think you better do more than try this time." Honor said as her father stood up and began to leave the room.

Logan didn't say anything, he just sipped on his scotch as he watched his father get up and leave the room.

"He acts like I have nothing better to do. It's bad enough I have to play nursemaid to mom, and run my children to their activities, but now I have to entertain his family," Honor complained to her husband and brother.

Josh put his arm around her, "I'll help, let me know what you want me to do."

"Thanks babe. I don't know what I would do if you weren't in my life." Honor gave him a kiss on his cheek. She got up to leave when Logan spoke.

"Hey, I'll help with mom. Are the kids okay?" he asked her as he put his hand on her arm.

"Yes, they are sleeping. Josh and I will stay here then tomorrow we will go and check on mom. Do you want to go with us?"

"If you go in the morning, " he responded, " then when I am finished I will head over to HPG Headquarters and set up my office. I will have to call London and assign my projects to people over there and send some of my paperwork back here." Logan quickly opened his phone and began to type a list down of things he needed to do and people he needed to contact. At the top of the list was Christopher Hayden's name.

Logan hugged his sister goodnight before filling his glass one more time then headed to his bedroom in the back of the house.

Logan looked around his old bedroom, he hadn't been in this room in at least twenty years. He noticed that Odette's suitcases were gone, and she didn't leave any clothes behind. Logan sighed with relief as he sat on his bed lifting his laptop that the maid put on the table beside his bed. Placing it on his lap, he quickly typed in his password that opened up to his home screen. He quickly pulled up the file of photographs that he took of Rory the last night they were together in New Hampshire. He enlarged the photo of her face and touched his screen tracing her lips. He felt his body respond and he adjusted himself on the bed. He then opened up his Facebook account and searched for her. Her account was gone along with her Instagram, and Twitter accounts. The three accounts were there two weeks ago ,but now he couldn't find her at all. Frustrated he quickly dialed Robert's number.

"She's gone!" Logan said to Robert as soon as he answered the phone.

"Who's gone?"" Robert answered groggily.

"Rory, her accounts are all deleted. There is no trace of her. Do you have her phone number or her last email account?"

"I told you, Logan, the phone number has been changed. I even called Verizon and her phone numbers are gone. She wanted to disappear. Logan, you chose Odette, you told her that. Let her go.."

"No, you don't understand, my father just put me on the Hayden account. She is a Hayden and if I get that account, I can hire her and not have to go through with this marriage. I can marry her, and we can work together, as we planned but we will own both publishing companies. We can finally be together."

"Logan, that sounds like a nice fantasy, but I have an early shoot tomorrow at the Brooklyn Bridge, I will be on site all day. I will call you when I get back."

"Robert, I need your help."

"Okay, whatever Logan. Goodnight."

Robert hung up the phone and quickly called Finn.

"Finn, have you heard from Rory?" he asked him as soon as he answered.

"No, why?" Finn asked with concern in his voice.

"Logan is going nuts. She has closed all her social media and email accounts. He just told me that he will be working on the Hayden account. Do you know where she is?"

"Listen I promised her….?"

"You need to let her know that he is planning on purchasing the Hayden company so that he can hire her and eventually marry her."

Finn became upset when he heard this and quickly told Robert, "Okay mate, I will be in touch."

Finn looked at his phone and then pulled up Rory's number. He hesitated but decided he needed to call her.

Rory and Tristan were sitting in the back library in front of the fireplace cuddling and holding hands as they watched the flames dance in the fireplace. They had been reading her Pro/Con list that she had started about the two jobs. The list came up even for both jobs on the pro side.

She had her head on his shoulder, and he had his arm wrapped around her as he twisted a strand of her hair between his fingers. Gently kissing her forehead, he asked,

"A penny for your thoughts?"

"Just thinking that I still don't know what to do, she told him nestling into his shoulder.

"Ror, before you go ahead with this list you really need to talk to your father. I know you are concerned about travel, but as your list shows, both jobs will offer you a chance to settle down here or near here."

"I also need to get my own car and find a place to live. I can't keep living here, and I don't want to go back to Stars Hollow. Mom and Luke need to live their life now, without their adult child living with them."

"I can help you look for a car," he volunteered.

"Tris, you are busy, I don't want to impose," she said and looked at him.

He looked at her beautiful lips and said, "It's not an imposition. I am off on Tuesday, we can go then." He softly pecked her on the lips, then rubbed his nose against hers.

Rory's phone buzzed on the table beside them. She picked it up and immediately answered it when she saw Finn's name come up.

"Finn? Is everything okay?"

Tristan looked at her and scowled. He wasn't sure about her friendship with Finn, however, he needed to show her that he could trust her and not be possessive. He was not going to do anything to jeopardize their relationship.

"Luv, we need to talk, I was with Logan yesterday and today and he's not giving up looking for you," Finn told her.

"Finn do you mind if I put you on speaker, Tristan is with me, I want him to hear this."

"Sure Love, it's okay. Tristan needs to be aware of this too Kitten," Finn said, and Rory immediately put him on speaker.

"I just received a call from Robert, Logan called him in a panic. Logan went on his computer and started to look for your social media accounts. Since you closed them, he became upset when he couldn't find them. His father is giving him more accounts here in the states."

Rory looked at Tristan as tears began to form in her eyes. He gently took the phone from her.

"Finn this is Tristan. Is he staying here in Hartford?" he asked.

"Not sure, originally he and Odette were returning to London tomorrow, but I think that has changed. I am heading to California tomorrow morning, Robert will be in New York City. Knowing Logan, he will try to reach out to Rory. Do me a favor, make sure that she is not alone . With him in Hartford he might keep looking for her."

"I will try, when will you be back?" Tristan asked hesitantly. He didn't want to ask but he felt that he could trust him.

"I plan on returning Tuesday. Why?" Finn asked.

"If I can't be with her, could you keep an eye on her?"

"Of course, I will do anything for her. Listen she is special so if you care about her, keep her away from Logan. He's not good enough for her."

Tristan sat in the couch next to Rory and pulled her closer to his side. He gently let his lips graze the top of her head.

"Finn, thanks for calling us," Tristan said.

Tristan ended the call and looked at Rory, "Are you all right?"

She nodded, but he could tell that this information shook her up. Tristan leaned in kissing her cheek and immediately Rory felt the warmth spread through her body and the pleasant buzz that follows whenever he kisses her. She places her hand on his cheek and realizes that what Connor said was true; Tristan was in love with her, and she was falling in love with him. Maybe he was her Luke.

"I will talk to my father tomorrow about the Hayden accounts, maybe he will have a suggestion."

"Good, I better leave. I am on from 7am till 7pm tomorrow, then I am off for two days. Will you be okay?" he asked her.

"As long as I know that you are here for me. I will be with Paris tomorrow morning and then I will have her drop me off at my dad's office. Logan hates Paris in fact she detests him so I will be okay."

"Call me after your appointment, I can meet you tomorrow evening when I get off."

"Okay," she said and kissed him again.

They stood up and walked hand in hand to the hallway. She handed him his leather coat and then Rory slipped on her jacket. They walked outside to the driveway where he had parked his car. He leaned her against his car slowly kissing her. As they parted, Rory looked up into the sky and saw something flashing.

"Tris look, in the sky. It's a shooting star."

"First it was sparks, now you are seeing stars, I didn't realize my kisses did that to you," he teased her.

She slapped his arm and said, "No look, up there?"

Tristan stood behind her and pulled her close to his chest. As they looked up into the sky, they both saw another shooting star. Leaning down he whispered, "Make a wish Mare."

Rory closed her eyes and made a wish. With his chin leaning on the top of her head he said, "Did you make a wish?"

"I did," she said, "Did you?"

"I've got my wish, right here in my arms."

Tristan turned her around and moved his head so that their noses touched before he laid his lips over hers cupping her cheeks in his hands. When her lips were nicely swollen from his repeated blistering kisses, he pulled back. Still holding her face in the palms of his hands he said, "Goodnight Mare."

"Goodnight Tris," she sighed.

He opened the car door and climbed in. She took a step back and waved as he pulled out of the driveway. As she watched his lights leave the street, she touched her lips lightly. Smiling she thought, sparks and stars… yes, he could be the one.


	27. Chapter 26 The Office Visit

**Chapter 26 ( Nov. 12) The Office Visit**

It was 9:45 when Paris arrived at Rory's grandmothers home. Paris wanted to talk to Rory about Jess before they left for Rory's doctors' appointment. Paris rang the doorbell and stood impatiently looking at her watch, Eunice stopped what she was doing and went to answer the door.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Paris Gellar, a friend of Rory's. I came to pick her up and take her to her appointment."

"Won't you come in; Miss Rory will be out shortly. Would you like a cup of coffee while you wait?" Eunice stepped to the side opening the door wider to let Paris in.

"If that won't be too much of a bother. " Paris chattered as she followed Eunice into the kitchen. " I don't want to put you out. I came to pick up Rory early so that I could talk to Rory before her appointment. She really needs to be prepared and informed. I don't think she was informed before and that's why this happened."

Eunice looked at her confused as she poured a fresh cup of coffee and placed it in front of Paris on the kitchen counter.

"Thank you," Paris said as she sipped the coffee. "This coffee is delicious. It's. nothing like what I'm used to drinking at the hospital,"

"Excuse me, Miss I will go tell Miss Rory you're here."

Eunice quickly left Paris in the kitchen and went to Rory's bedroom. She gently knocked on her door. Rory opened the door holding her shoes and her phone in her hands.

"Miss, Dr. Gellar is waiting in the kitchen."

"Thank you Eunice; I will be right there."

"Jess, I've got to go. Paris came an hour and a half early."

Jess laughed, "I'll let you go so you won't keep the good doctor waiting. And Ror, don't worry about Dean. You need to figure out what Finn told you on the phone. I think you should be honest and explain everything to your dad. The job here is yours if you want it and if you want to do both, I'm sure we can work something out. "

"Thanks, Jess, please tell Chris and Matt thank you for me. I'll call you later after I meet with my father."

"Great, tell Paris to call me when she gets home."

"I will."

Rory ended her call with Jess and quickly walked out into the kitchen.

"Sorry Paris, I was on the phone talking to Jess. He said he wants you to call him when you get home."

"Oh, okay. Why were you talking to him?" Paris looked over at Rory and frowned.

"Jess called to tell me that he received the article I wrote, and they want to hire me to be their digital reporter for their three newspapers," Rory told her with a smile on her face.

"That's great Rory. What about you and Tristan? If you work for Jess, will you two get back together, will you move back to Philadelphia. "

Rory poured herself a cup of coffee and sat beside her best friend. Paris was beginning to sound insecure. She wasn't sure what was going on with her.

"What's going on, Paris? Why are you asking me questions about my relationship with Jess? Jess and I are best friends. Paris are you worried about him?" she asked with concern in her voice.

Paris looked down into her coffee and didn't say anything. Rory reached over and touched her arm. "Listen, there is nothing between Jess and I except a job offer. Jess is crazy about you and about my relationship with Tristan. I like Tristan a lot and he understands I have issues. So we are dating but we both agreed that it is better if we take things slow. There some personal things I need to sort out first."

"You mean Logan. By the way, why is he here? I saw him in the ER yesterday."

"I have no idea. I received a message from Finn yesterday telling me that they went to Stars Hollow looking for me. I also found out that Colin is working at his father's law office which merged with my father's company. I'm not sure how long it will be before they realize that I am a Hayden. I just found out that my grandmother is changing her will making me an heir to one of her companies."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. To be honest, I would rather work with Jess and his partners at Truncheon Books; but both Jess and Tristan want me to listen to my father's offer. What bothers me is that Logan went looking for me in Stars Hollow and he told Finn that he has plans for me to work with him. Paris I can't let him back in my life again. You know when it comes to Logan he will talk me into it. He always has. I am finally happy with Tristan, there are no games with him.."

"Listen Rory, you cannot let Logan and his family intimidate you. Why won't you consider working with your father. Why can't you do both? Write for Jess and work at your father's office? The way I see it working for your father's company in any capacity is a no brainer. Would you rather be a mysterious cat lady that nobody knows and not get credit for your work because you feel safe hiding behind a pseudonym so your ex can't find you? My God Rory, what did Huntzberger do to you these last three years? "

Rory took a sip of her coffee and looked at Paris over the rim of her mug. Should she confess to her that Logan was protecting her from his father's wrath, but by doing so, she lost all her confidence? Logan didn't do that to be mean, he wanted to protect her. But then again, she lost out on some big stories too. She let Pari continue to rant only half listening to her.

"Seriously what happened to the girl that would stand up to the dean at Chilton or prove me wrong and become the Valedictorian of her class? Where is that girl who would talk me down when I was in crisis mode? What happened to you, Rory? Are you letting the Huntzberger's win, didn't his father tell you that you didn't have it in you to become a journalist? Think of it this way, a great man once said if you think you can't, your right! Is Mitcham Huntzberger really that great man? Personally, I know you are destined for great things, not just anyone can beat me for valedictorian, although statistics did say that most people who were valedictorians in early years would hit their peek aft high school and be perpetually stuck as a loser in later years? Do you see yourself as a loser?"

Rory sat there uncomfortably listening to Paris continue her rant. She wanted to zone out, but the more Paris said, the more she agreed. Paris is right; she has let the Huntzbergers psych her out these last few years, always in the back of her mind was Mitcham telling her that she didn't have what it takes.

Pouting Rory says, "I don't want to be a looser cat lady."

"Then don't let them make you into one. Rory, you need to take a chance and not let what other people think to get in your way. Prove to everyone that you are a force to be reckoned with because I know you can be. Did you ever get bad reviews on any of the articles you wrote while you were writing? I don't remember any, so you had a few setbacks and a few articles that didn't get picked up but what have you been doing since. I'll tell you; you have been wallowing and working for nothing at the Stars Hollow Gazette that Jess, and his friends recently bought for a song. Logan Huntzberger is not worth your time to wallow or be afraid of him." Paris got out of the chair and was beginning to pace the kitchen while she continued to lecture Rory. Rory sat there listening, silent, watching Paris pace back and forth.

"Look Rory, I know I drove you nuts in college, but I learned at an early age that I had to fight for what was rightfully mine. Your father is offering you a company that is honestly yours…. at least they left you something . This is your birthright. Granted I understand why you are hesitant about this. I know you told me that your father wasn't there while you were growing up, but Boo Hoo neither was my father or mother. I was raised by a nanny, and then my parents stole my money. You had a mother who fought for you and made sure you got into Chilton so you could go to Yale. Your mother is not going to be upset that you are working for the Haydens, but she will be shocked when she learns that you gave everything up because of Logan!"

Rory looked up at Paris and her face revealed surprise when she finally realized what Paris was say was true. She shouldn't hide out and doubt herself. Rory was dating Tristan now, and he would support her no matter what she decided. She also had Paris and Jess supporting her. She put her coffee cup down and looked at her best friend.

"Look you are my best friend, and I have to be honest. Rory if I had let myself worry about pleasing everyone around me then I would never have gotten into Medical school or give Doyle the boot when I caught him with that actress. If I have to give you a kick in the backside, I will. Now let's get your act together and if you want to write for Jess, then write for Jess but also work for your father. You can do that; other than me you are the only other person who is great at multitasking. Now back to my situation with Jess...do I need to worry?"

Rory reached over and hugged her best friend. "Thanks, Paris you are right. I really need to talk to my father to explain my reservations and hear what they have to say. Do you think you can bring me to my father's after the appointment? Or do you need to get back to the hospital?"

"No, I don't have to be back at the hospital, I'm off today, so I can go with you to your father's office, or I can drop you off. Whatever you want. It's nice to not be on call and have something to do. I need today's break since yesterday was tough and long. So me and Jess?"

"You are fine Paris; Jess wants you to call him later. He really likes you, and there is nothing for you to worry about. I promise I will tell you if there is something to worry about. I've got your back. "

"Okay, it's just that sometimes I think that Jess is going to do to me what Doyle did."

"No, not Jess. There is nothing to worry about, I promise."

Rory hugged Paris again and looking up at the clock she noticed that they should get going to the doctors. She picked up their empty coffee cups and put them in the sink. Saying goodbye to Eunice, the two girls walked out of the house to Paris's car.

"So tell me about your weekend. Did you have a good time? I can't believe that Tristan is taking things slow. Tristan never does anything slow." Paris said with a smirk as she started her car.

"We had a great time and spent time talking. We are going to go slow, Tristan understands, and he has already met Finn. Finn called us and spoke to Tristan about Logan, so Tristan understands my reservations about moving too fast. Tris also wants me to talk to my father about Hayden Holdings and the publishing house they own. Oh did I mention that the Bowmans went on the wine tour with us?"

Paris got on the expressway and glanced out of the corner of her eye at Rory.

"Bowmans? Like Tristan's friend in high school? Do they still live in this area?" Paris replied shocked.

"Yes, Tristan's parents are close friends with Bowmans, and they invited Andy and his wife to join us. You won't believe who he married," Rory said to Paris.

"Probably some dumb bimbo like Summer," Paris guessed.

"No, but that would be a good guess. It is Francie!" Rory told her with a grin on her face.

"Francie Jarvis? No way! She married Andy Bowman….? The same Andy Bowman that Tristan hung out with. The idiot friend who convinced him to break into his father's safe. I thought he was in jail and they threw away the key." Paris exclaimed looking at Rory in surprise.

"Well he is not in jail and she did marry him. They have four children all boys and she' is just as miserable as she was in high school. " Rory gloated trying to hold back a laugh.

"How old are the children? I feel sorry for those kids having those two as their parents."

"The oldest is fourteen, then she has twins that are twelve and a six-year-old. I guess they got married right out of high school." Rory sat there shaking her head.

"Never would have expected that. What was Tristan's reaction to this?" Paris asked glancing over at Rory.

"He is the godfather to one of the children, but Francie was all over him and giving me dirty looks the whole time. The Bowman's are nice, and of course, Tristan's parents are very nice, so different than what I imagined," Rory said quietly.

Paris got off the exit for the hospital and soon was pulling into the underground parking garage. As they entered the elevator, Paris looked at her and asked, "Are you okay? Do you have any questions that you might need to ask?"

"No I'm fine, I guess I just have to decide what type of birth control I should use now," Rory told her.

"Listen, your doctor will go over that with you. She is excellent and Rory, remember the next time, make sure that Tristan keeps his package wrapped too."

Rory smiled at Paris and gave her a squeeze. "I promise I will, so do you have any suggestions?" she asked her.

"I would use whatever is easiest. Since you are planning on being around here, why don't you have a shot, it is every thirteen weeks, and I can give you the shot," Paris told her. As they walked out of the elevator Rory went across the room to check in, while Paris went and sat down at one of the seats in the waiting room. She had just sat down when the nurse called her name. Paris squeezed her hand and said, "I'll be right here waiting for you."

—

An hour and a half later, Paris and Rory walked into the lobby of the building that housed Hayden and Son Publishing office. Rory walked over to the bank of elevators and pushed the button. When the elevator arrived, she pushed the button for the 30th floor where the main offices were located.

Paris looked around at the beautiful glass elevator and whispered, "Just think, this could all be yours." As they ascended, they looked out through the glass walls of the elevator and Rory noticed that she could see every floor and the different offices. Everything was light and airy, giving you a very modern friendly environment to work in. This was so different than her experience in other publishing houses she had been in.

As Paris glanced out the elevator walls she said, "Look at all those worker bees here, Rory you could be the Queen Bee and really show the Huntzbergers what you are made of. I have heard stories about your grandfather Straub Hayden who was no slouch. Someone told me that he was one hell of a lawyer and a ruthless businessman. It's in your blood Rory." Paris looked at her as they stood in the elevator. Rory bit her bottom lip at Paris and rolled her eyes. "Paris come on; I know nothing about running a business especially one as large as this. Even my grandmother had to hire someone to run it. She was only on the board," Rory confided.

The elevator dinged and stopping on the twentieth floor. Three people got on and smiled at the two women. Rory smiled back, and Paris whispered, "Worker Bees. All you need is a power suit."

Rory gave Paris a dirty look and Paris shrugged her shoulders, "Just saying."

The elevator stopped on the twenty-second floor, and the three people got off. Rory pushed the button, and they continued up to the thirtieth floor. Stepping off the elevator Paris whistled softly, "Nice… they know what they were doing here. Nicely decorated, but I would change it a bit." she whispered.

The room was filled with natural light from the floor to ceiling windows that surrounded the lobby. As Rory looked around, she noticed stairs going up to the next level behind the receptionist counter. The name Hayden and Son Publishing Company with its H&S Logo to the left was proudly displayed in the middle of the dark granite panel along the front of the receptions desk. They strolled into the large reception area that was painted in a soft white with dark gray accents on large box beams that seem to be supporting the next floor. In front of the windows were bright gray couches with turquoise and lime green accents that were arranged around so that people had a comfortable place to wait or carry on a conversation. Placed around the couches were white cubicle tables scattered with a variety of reading material so that people could glance or read through them. A coffee cart was in the corner so that people could help themselves to refreshments compliments of the company.

Rory and Paris walked over to the two-receptionist sitting at the main counter. Rory looked at her phone and noticed that she was earlier than she expected. Her doctors' appointment went well, they started her on the Depo shot, and she is now able to drive again.

"Hello," Rory said with confidence, " I'm Rory, umm Lorelai Gilmore Hayden and I have a meeting with my father, Christopher Hayden."

The young redhead looked at her and smiled, "Yes, he is expecting you. You can take the stairs behind us and go up one flight. Aurora is the head receptionist, and she will bring you to his office."

Paris noticed that the stairs were suspended by clear leucite panels. As the girls ascended Rory could not resist looking around at the beautiful room. Nothing had prepared her for such a beautiful and modern building that Hayden and Son Publishing was in. This was the first time that she had come to this office and she was not expecting such an open and modern design. She figured it would be like the older cramped buildings and offices that she saw in London that Logan had worked in. The building that HPG was located in, was built after World War II with narrow office space for the employees. Only Mitcham and Logan had offices with a window. As she reached the top of the stairs, she noticed another reception area to her left and to her right a long hallway that stretched with glass rooms off of it. She approached the office and asked, "Aurora?"

An older woman with dark hair and green eyes smiled and said: "Yes, can I help you."

"Hello, I'm Rory Gilmore Hayden, and this is my friend Dr. Paris Geller, I have a meeting with my father, Christopher Hayden."

"Oh Hello Rory, yes he is expecting you. How is your grandmother doing? We have been very worried about her," she inquired as she led Paris and Rory down the hallway towards her father's office.

"She is recovering, and I hope to visit her later today."

Rory and Paris passed different offices, where they noticed that some were empty, and some had people working. She noticed that there was a door that said CFO and a new name plate was being added. Aurora knocked at the office door just down from where she saw the people working. She heard her father say come in as he put down the phone.

"Rory," he said as he stood up and kissed his daughter on the cheek. "Paris it is good to see you again. Thanks for bringing Rory today to her appointment and our meeting. "

"It's good to see you again Christopher. How is Gigi? I saw her yesterday at the hospital."

"Gig is fine today; she went to school. Paris, Rory, can I offer you anything?"

"No thank you Christopher, I will leave you to your meeting with Rory. Rory, I will wait downstairs in that lovely reception area. I have a few calls to make. You have a beautiful place here Christopher. I am sure that Rory will see the advantages that she will have if she works here."

Paris left the room and went back down the stairs to sit in one of the comfortable couches. Christopher looked at Rory and raised his eyebrows at her.

"SOOO…. I guess you told Paris why I was going to meet with you."

"Yes, we discussed it," she told him but didn't give him any idea what decision she came to.

"Did everything go okay at the doctors, Hun?" Christopher asked her.

"Yes, I'm healed and was released, so I have my driving privileges again."

Rory looked up at her father and said, "Dad, Paris has been supported along with you, Grandma and Tristan. Paris also reminded me that I shouldn't be afraid to work here ."

Christopher grinned, "I always liked Paris' refreshing frankness on a situation. I hope you listened to her this time. So when do you want to go car shopping? How about tomorrow, I can clear my schedule."

"Dad, I want to buy the car myself. I think I should go with a friend, I'm afraid if I go with you that you will buy me something that isn't really what I want but I will say yes anyway."

Christopher looked up at her with sadness in his eyes. "Ror, let me do this for you, I have missed out on so much. I wasn't able to buy you your first car nor was I there to teach you how to drive. Remember it was your grandparents Gilmore who bought that first car for you. So can I at least go with you to look at them?"

"Well actually it was Dean."

"Dean your old high school boyfriend?"

"Yes, Dean."

"Oh now I remember," Chris answered rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. "Seem like I remember that you were in an accident with that car."

" Okay but promise me that we will look at what I want, not something that you think I want." She looked up at her father giving him her best "Bambi eyes " that she had perfected over the years to get what she wanted.

"Promise." Christopher picked up the phone speaking to his secretary he said, "Aurora, do me a favor and clear tomorrow for me. Perfect, we can move that 1 pm appointment to next week. Great. I will be spending time with my daughter tomorrow."

Hanging up the phone, Christopher smiled at his daughter, "Okay, let's go over the paperwork and talk about what this job is," he began shuffling his paperwork around. "The secretary from the law office dropped it off earlier today. Your grandmother began doing this while you were in the hospital when she realized that you left your job and was working in Stars Hollow for nothing."

"Dad I'm...," Rory began to protest.

"Look Ror, I know you have reservations about this, but you need to hear me out and the lawyer. There are things here that I wasn't aware of until recently. If there are things that you are uncomfortable with, we will make changes, but ultimately this will be your business. Your grandmother is adamant about signing the business over to you. You can take an active role working here or just sit on the board. That will be totally up to you."

"What about Gigi?" Rory asked him.

"Ror, don't worry about Gigi. I have more than enough money for Gigi. I have put money away for her college and graduate school also a wedding. If she decides to work, I am sure we can find a place for her either here or at Hayden's Holdings. Look let's be honest. Gigi is not you; she doesn't have your natural abilities. I won the lottery, kiddo, when you were born. It's just too bad that I was so young to appreciate it. But your mother knew, and she raised you to be a remarkable young woman. You can do anything you put your mind too, you are a Gilmore and a Hayden. Both of your grandfathers were powerful businessmen and very intelligent and sweetie you are too."

Christopher walked over to her and pulled her into his arms and gave her a hug then kissed her forehead. Rory felt tears come behind her eyes and looked up at him.

"Dad, do you really believe that I can do this?"

"Ror, I know you can, especially with the help of Eric Brady. He will be starting the week after Thanksgiving, and like I told you he has experience in this type of work. I am hiring him as the CFO, and he will take over the finance department for this company so that we can continue to make a profit. Your grandmother has made changes here, and I think the company is heading in the right direction; unfortunately, I had to move money from HSH to ensure we don't have to sell the company. Now, this is the contract that you will be signing. DJ Dimera, my personal Lawyer, will be coming in to go over this with you."

"Dad before you call him, what will my role be?"

"Whatever role you want to play. Right now, kiddo you will work closely with Eric Brady learning about the company and with his help make decisions, finding authors, hiring writers, etc."

"But what if I want to write? I mean, Jess has offered me that job, and it is something I always wanted to do, to have my own column…"

"Ror, I am sure we could work it out so you can still write for Jess or here. I mean there will be a lot of networking, meetings, parties. You will have to run into the Huntzbergers, but your friend Jess is a publisher. I am sure he can also give you advice. Ror, I need you."

Rory looked at her father and nodded, "Okay, I will talk to DJ, but I am not signing anything yet," she told him.

Christopher picked up the phone and called DJ, Rory sat there looking through the papers wishing she knew of someone who could look through these, and make sure she was doing the right thing. All she knew was Colin, and she knew she couldn't call him. She wondered if Finn had anyone he could recommend or even Tristan. She quickly picked up her phone and sent Tristan a message.

 _ **Rory -**_

 _ **Tris, can you recommend a lawyer? I'm at dad's, and he has some papers he wants me to go through. He is going to have his lawyer explain them to me, but I also want an unbiased opinion. Mare**_

She quickly hit send and began to scan the papers while she waited for DJ to enter the room. She thought about what Paris had said, that she should not let the Huntzbergers intimidate her. Was that what she was doing, running and hiding from Logan. She told him goodbye even though he was pressuring her to go and write her book, but when she thought back to this last year when he was secretly seeing Odette and was engaged to her, she hadn't really been happy. She wanted to write, but not a book, not yet anyway.

Rory got up and walked over to the table that was set up with a coffee machine and made herself one. She looked out the window at the view of Hartford. This was a corner office tastefully decorated with dark hardwood floor, an oriental rug under her father's desk and another one in front of the couches and chairs that were arranged for comfortable conversation. She had been sitting in a cozy gray leather club chair across from her father's dark mahogany desk. His desk was neat and organized so different from her mother's office at the Inn, always piled with papers and colored notes, even at home, his desk was organized, with lists of things he had to do, with everything in its place.

"Dad was this Grandma's office?" she asked him.

"No, her office is larger, and down the hall, which will eventually be yours, this is mine. This is all I need here since I have an office in Boston at Hayden's Holdings. I have been spending a lot of time here, and I am seriously thinking of moving Hayden Holdings here. It would make sense since we own the building and maybe I can take three or four floors downstairs. This way I won't need to go back and forth to Boston and have two different assistants, but a lot will depend on you, Gigi, and of course Mother."

Rory looked at her father and sighed. He was depending on her, and she really didn't want to disappoint him.

Rory walked back towards him holding the coffee cup, and asked, "You are worried about grandma aren't you?"

"Yes, Rory I am. She seems weak, but I am glad that you two have bonded."

He gave her a small smile, and she knew that this last month not only was a time for her to heal physically but also emotionally thanks to her dad, sister and grandmother. They heard a knock, and DJ Dimera walked in. He entered the room with confidence wearing a navy-blue suit that made his blue-gray eyes bluer. Smiling at her she noticed that his eyes crinkled up and twinkled. His handshake was strong, and it felt slightly rough, not the hand of a man who spent most of his time in an office. She wondered if he was an athlete or if he worked outside. He was very handsome about six foot two with broad shoulders, dark brown hair and a close-trimmed beard.

"DJ Dimera this is my daughter, Lorelai, but she goes by Rory," her father introduced her.

"Nice to meet you Rory, " DJ said to her and held out his hand for her to shake. DJ smiled at Rory and held his hand out to her. Rory took his hand in hers and shook it noticing that this man was not much older than her. His handshake was strong, and it felt slightly rough, not the hand of a man who spent most of his time in an office. She wondered if he was an athlete and if he worked outside. They let go of each other's hand and looking at Christopher DJ continued, "Sorry Chris, I would have been here sooner, but I stopped to pick things up at McCrae's and I got tied up talking with Colin McCrae. I now have all the documents including the revised will your mother wanted. He also told me to tell you that a Logan Huntzberger is in his office and wishes to speak with you."

Christopher looked over at Rory, and he could tell that this bit of information bothered her.

"Thanks, DJ. I will go and take care of that right now. Ror why don't you two start going over the information and I will go down to Colin's office and see what he wants ."

"Okay Dad, DJ, it is nice to meet you too. I guess we can sit over here?" she said and led him towards a round conference table with four chairs. "Can I get you a cup of coffee, water, I'm not sure what my father has stocked here."

DJ smiled warmly at her. "Coffee would be great," he told her. Rory walked over to the bar that was set up and she poured him a cup of coffee and brought the cream and sugar to the table.

They sat down at the table and taking the coffee from her he said, "Your father speaks of you often." Rory blushed. "Really? "

"Yes he told me that you were a journalist until recently." D J sat back in his chair very relaxed. Rory immediately noticed that the navy-blue suit DJ was wearing made his eyes appear bluer with a tint of gray around the edges.

"Yes I was, but things changed. Living abroad and being a journalist isn't as romantic as it sounded when I was a teenager. I really missed my family, so I returned from London, and now I am starting to write again."

"Really, are you writing a book?" he encouraged her to continue.

"No, funny you should say that. An old friend suggested I should do that, but a close friend of mine is hiring me to do some articles for his papers and magazine."

"That's interesting, what will they be on?" he asked her.

"The local wineries, and other local articles." Rory picked up the folder in front of her and began to move it around the table in front of her trying to change the subject.

"Have you worked for my dad long?" she asked him.

"Yes I joined the law firm about seven years ago, I graduated from Columbia. He told me that you went to Yale. Do you know Colin McCrae?" he asked her.

Rory didn't know how to answer him but decided to be honest. "Yes, we met a few times in college. " Looking down she picked up the folders.

"So these are the papers that my grandmother wants me to look through?" she said to him continued pointing to the papers. "Dad said you were going to explain them to me?"

DJ could tell that she didn't want to talk about herself anymore, so he decided to move on to the topic of her employment here at H&S. "Yes. Your grandmother and grandfather started a trust for you when you were born," he began, "And this business is a major part of the trust."

Rory looked up at him in surprise, "A Trust when I was born? I had no idea." Just then her phone rang. She looked at it and saw it was from Tristan.

"Could you excuse me? I need to take this." Rory got up from the table and walked over to another part of the office, turning her back to DJ and looked out the window over the city.

DJ sat in his chair admiring the view. She was very attractive, and he knew she was close to his age may be a few years younger. She seemed a little timid and surprised when he told her about the trust. He just assumed that she knew about the trust since most trust fund children have access to their money when they reach the age of twenty-five.

Rory smiled as she listened to Tristan's voice.

"Hey, Mare I got your message. I spoke to my dad, and he can go over the papers with you tonight. Remember he has his degree in law, though it was in international law. He said we can stop by later, will that work?"

Rory smiled when she heard this and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey, are you okay?" Tristan was concerned when he heard her sigh.

"Yes, it's good to hear your voice. And that would be great. Tris, Paris stayed, and she can bring me to the hospital so I can meet you there," she told him.

"My shift is over by seven so why don't you text or call me when your meeting is over. Mare, Logan's mother is here at the hospital on the fifteenth floor, so make sure Paris is with you when you go up to your grandmother's room just in case you run into him."

"Tris, I can handle it," she told him.

"No, remember what Finn said last night. He doesn't want you alone, do you understand me."

"Okay, I will send you a text when this meeting is over." She closed the phone and walked back over to the table and smiled at DJ.

"Sorry about that," she told him.

"No problem. Is everything okay?" DJ asked Rory. Noticing that she seemed relieved after the phone call.

"Yes, just some meeting that I will need to go to," she replied and sat down and began to look at the papers.

DJ pulled the papers out of the folder and began, "This is a standard contract offering you a salary of $280,000 a year to start with, along with shares in both this company, HSH, and a seat on the board beginning in January 2018. Your grandmother felt that your salary would be negotiable if you wish to continue full time, however, the seat on the board is yours whether or not you work here. She also stipulated that you were to receive your own office and the title of Vice President until the time when you inherit the company and become CEO."

Rory didn't say anything at first, she looked at the paper and noticed the amount of money. Does this include benefits?" she asked him.

"Yes, you receive the health benefits that are like your fathers and of course the shares in the company along with other stocks listed here. According to your grandmother, these stocks were purchased for you on the day of your birth by your grandfather, and she felt it was time that you should have them along with the trust that is listed on the next page."

She looked at the list of the stocks that were there and noticed that she now owned shares in HPG.

"These shares, right here," she indicated with her finger pointing at HPG. How much do I own?"

"About 15% maybe more. I will have to check. These were purchased when you were born so you may own more. Now on this page is your trust. She looked at the amount and saw that it was worth over 1.2 million dollars. She looked up in shock at him.

"You said that this was set up at my birth 33 years ago?"

"Yes, according to your grandmother, your grandfather opened the account and would invest in it. Apparently, he invested more when you turned sixteen and again when you graduated from Chilton. Your grandmother continued to have her financial manager invest in your account until you were to take it over. So I suggest that you meet with Tom Baryon. who is the Chief Investment Officer at the Ready Capital Financial Group, that both your grandmother and father invest with."

"Okay," she said quietly and continued to listen to him wondering if the Huntzbergers were aware that she now owned more than 15% of their company. She then sat there for the next hour discussing the job and what it curtails.


	28. Chapter 27 Revelations

**Chapter 27 Revelations**

November 12

Christopher left his office and walked over to the young intern that he recently hired to help him out since he was working at both offices.

"Mark, would you call Colin McCrae and tell him that I am on my way up to his office to see Mr. Huntzberger."

"Of course, Mr. Hayden," Mark responded, "Also Mr. Hayden, the hospital called and wanted to know when you were coming over to see your mother."

"Please call them back and let them know that I will be there this afternoon, right after this meeting. Also, make sure that tomorrow, Aurora has my schedule cleared. I may need you to cover the meeting in Boston for me on Thursday."

"No problem, Mr. Hayden. Is there anything else?"

"My daughter, Rory, is in my office talking to DJ. Please make sure they are not disturbed. Thank you."

Mark nodded and immediately got on the phone to make the calls.

Christopher got off the elevator on the floor where McCrae Hayden had their law offices. Nodding at the receptionist, he walked directly to Colin's office where Logan was sitting with Colin having a drink.

Christopher knocked on the door.

"Come in," Colin said, sitting behind his desk.

Christopher walked directly over to where the men were sitting and put his hand out to shake Logan's hand. He smiled at Colin and said, "I'm sorry to barge in on your meeting. Logan, I received a message from DJ that you wanted to see me. I was on my way down from another meeting so I thought I would save you the trip upstairs."

Logan stood up and shook Christopher's hand.

"Thanks for coming down, Chris. Can we get you a drink?" Logan asked him.

"No, thank you, it's a little early for me. What's up?" Christopher replied, taking a seat across from Logan.

Christopher sat quietly, observing how relaxed Logan was sipping on his drink. Even though it was Colin's office, Logan appeared in control of his environment. Christopher smirked thinking how Logan had changed since he first met him at Yale when he dated his daughter. Logan had grown to become a very self-assured and shrewd businessman. He was curious about why he wanted to meet with him and wondered if he was looking for answers to where Rory was. Luke and Lorelai had told Chris that Logan had recently appeared in Stars Hollow asking about Rory, and he wondered if Colin had informed Logan about the changes in his mother's will that directly name Rory as the heir to Hayden Publishing. It didn't occur to Christopher that Colin didn't know Rory's legal name.

Logan's smiled at Christopher. "I wanted to talk to you about your company. When we met last time, you and my father had a meeting about selling Hayden Publishing. I was wondering what you decided to do. If it was still for sale or if you might be looking for someone to run it now that your mother is not well."

"Oh?"

"Yes, I thought you might be looking for someone to take over for her at Hayden Publishing. I want you to know that I'm your man and I am interested in the job. I have experience and knowledge of the industry, and I'm looking to make a change. I know you might be cautious about hiring me because of my past relationship with your daughter, but I want to assure you that my personal life will not interfere with my professional life."

Christopher arched his eyebrows and asked," You would leave HPG?"

"Yes, I'm ready to move back to the states, and I know that I'm a perfect match for this publishing house," he said with confidence. Logan had told him that he was ready to purchase the business so he could hire Rory, maybe he changed his plans. Does he know where Rory is?

Turning to Colin, Chris asked, "Do you mind if I speak to Logan alone?"

"No go right ahead, I still have some work to do. Why don't you use the conference room? I am sure it is available?"

Colin stood up and led them down the hall to a large conference room with frosted glass walls. The two men walked in, and Chris went and sat down at the head of the table. Logan sat beside him.

"Logan, I meant to call your father. When your father approached me last month, he had thought the company was for sale."

"Yes, I know, and I have a solution for you. Hire me. I have a lot of experience, and I can bring your company back to where it was. I can bring in new talent and make sure you are up to date with the latest techniques in journalism. Journalism has changed, Chris. We are in the digital age, and a good publishing company needs to keep up with the times, along with hiring the best computer apps and companies. I have been trying to get the board at HPG to do this, but they are moving like dinosaurs."

Logan looked at Christopher with anticipation. He had been thinking about Hayden Publishing and had done a lot of research on it. He contacted his uncle, who owns SVPC (Silicone Valley Publishing Company), and they had been discussing how to get the other larger publishing companies to go digital. His younger cousin, Jack, holds a VP position there. Logan thought if he could get hired here, he could bring his cousin back and they could either purchase the company for HPG or buy out Hayden Publishing and make it a rival company against HPG.

"When we last met, I was under the impression that you were Vice President of HPG and that you would eventually be the CEO."

" Well, a lot depends on my father. However, I am ready to make a change. My father and I disagree on too many things, and after talking to my uncle, who owns SVPC, I realize that it's time for me to make a change."

"Aren't you in London? I'm sure I read somewhere that you are getting married soon."

"My wedding has been postponed indefinitely. That is one of the things my father and I disagree on. I don't know if you and your father ever disagreed about what you should do with your life. I tried to listen to him, but I wasn't happy, and I gave up someone important to me."

Sympathetically, Chris looked at Logan's sad face. He understood what he was saying since his father, unfortunately, paved his way, forcing him to give up the girl he loved and his child. Now he wondered if Logan was experiencing the same loss when he let Rory get away.

Logan had let his eyes drift out towards the window. He then said hopefully, "Listen, Chris, I'm your man. I can have my references sent to you tomorrow. You know me, I'm a hard worker, and I grew up in this business."

"Unfortunately, Logan, about a month ago, my mother began to look for someone to help her rebuild and change this company. She found someone who brings in a vast knowledge of the industry and many years' experience in the field of journalism. I met him, and I feel it is a perfect fit for our company. Logan, I appreciate you coming to see me, and your offer is tempting."

Surprised at hearing this Logan exclaimed, "You did? My father was certain that you were going to sell the company and I thought that I could leave my father's company and work for you."

Christopher sat there, wondering what Logan and Mitchum's end game was. Did he reveal that his father had sent him to come and take over the company and merge it with HPG or was Logan looking for his daughter? He needed to talk to Rory and find out what happened between her and Logan. He wondered if the miscarriage that she had was Logan's child. He now wondered what it would be like for her to work with him or be around him. She never spoke about Logan and her feelings for him. He was happy that she was dating Tristan, but was it on the rebound, he wondered.

Christopher sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers in front of him. "Logan your offer is interesting, however, this new person, who we just hired will be able to continue to bring in new authors and help us expand just like you are suggesting that you can do. However, I am willing to discuss your offer with my mother; maybe there might be something here if you want to leave your job at HPG and work here. Maybe you can work together with him."

"Do you mind me asking who it is?" Logan asked, wondering what competition he was going to have and trying to formulate a new strategy to take over the company.

"Not at all. His name is Eric Brady. Do you know him?"

"Yes, I do, I was told he was going to CNN. I also heard he was interested in entering politics either as a senator or a congressman," Logan said, nodding his head.

Logan had met Eric Brady. Eric was originally from Montana, a graduate from Stanford University in Business and a master's in communications and Journalism. Logan had the pleasure of meeting him at Hamburg at one of the conferences. At that time, he had written a few books about technology and journalism. He was with Rory that day, and they both went to hear him speak. Rory even purchased his book and had him sign it. Eric was about two years older than him and held many jobs as a correspondent and in broadcasting on the west coast. The last he had heard was that he was thinking of going into politics, it was interesting that now he was going to oversee HSP.

"I admire him, and I can't wait to see him again. I hope we can work together. I might even stop by when he starts to say hello," Logan said, smiling confidently at Christopher.

"Logan, I appreciate you stopping by today and asking me about a job with Hayden Publishing. I wish you the best of luck. Please give my regards to your parents. My mother appreciated the flowers your mother sent." Christopher stood up and began to walk with Logan out of the conference room.

"Thank you again, Chris. I hope I hear from you since I am interested in moving to your company. I have to stop at the hospital now and meet my sister to bring my mother home."

"Your mother? Is she okay?"

"She had a pretty nasty fall down the stairs the other day, resulting in operation on her ankle. Unfortunately, my mother will be sidelined for a while. Luckily, I had decided not to return to Europe and London. Right now, I am working at HPG on Main St. I will be looking for an apartment nearby too."

"I am sorry to hear this. I wish your mother a speedy recovery. I am sure your mother will be happy to have you here to help her out. Logan, I will talk to my mother if you are serious about leaving HPG."

"Thank you, Chris, I appreciate it," Logan said.

They got on the elevator together and rode down a few floors before Logan got the nerve to ask about Rory.

Biting his lip and rubbing the back of his neck with his hand he asked, "Chris, how's Rory? I haven't heard from her in a while."

"You miss her?" Christopher asked him.

"Yes, I made a mistake letting her go."

"Rory is doing well. She is busy. You know her mom married Luke."

"No, I didn't know that. I'm sorry that your marriage didn't last," Logan answered honestly.

"Well Logan, somethings are not meant to last," Chris told him honestly.

The elevator pinged, and the door opened at the lobby. The two men walked out of the elevator, and Chris shook Logan's hand again.

"Please tell your mother I was asking about her, and it was good seeing you. Good luck and if something opens up here, I will let you know."

Shaking Christopher's hand, Logan smiled, "I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me. If you see Rory, please tell her I was asking about her. I wish her the best."

"Thank you, Logan, I will."

Logan turned and walked out the door and hailed a cab. Chris stood at reception and watched as the cab drove him away before he pulled out his cell phone and called Rory.

Logan pulled out his phone and called Colin.

"Colin McCrae," Colin answered the phone.

"Colin, listen to my meeting ran longer than I thought. I am on my way to see my mother at the hospital. Can we meet for drinks later?"

"Logan, what the hell is going on? Why did you tell Christopher that you want a job working at Hayden Publishing?"

"Because I do. I'm sick of working for my father and now that my marriage is no longer going to happen, I need to make amends. Maybe if I work there, Rory will find out and come back to me."

"Logan…listen…." Colin sighed worried that Logan was making a mistake. "I'll call Finn and Robert and meet you at the usual place around seven?"

"Perfect, see you at the Pigs Eye. Thanks, Colin."

Logan put his phone back in his pocket and sat back in the cab heading to the hospital. He thought about what Christopher just told him and wondered if he could finally leave HPG.

Rory and DJ were going over the list of publishing companies that her grandfather had purchased when her phone rang.

"Dad?" she said when she saw his number.

"Listen, honey; we should talk. Are you meeting Tristan soon?".

"After I'm finished here, Paris and I will go have lunch, and she will take me to the hospital why?"

"Logan is now working here in Hartford. HIs mother is in the hospital, and he will be taking care of her. She broke her ankle and had an operation.

Quietly Rory listened to what her father said and let her thoughts wander. If Logan was here, she wondered what was going on. Did Tristan see him at the hospital and that was why he didn't want her to be alone?

"Ror, hey kiddo. Are you okay?" Christopher asked her concerned when she didn't respond.

"Dad, I'm fine. I'm just surprised. Listen, I've got to finish talking to DJ. Are you going home or to the hospital?"

"I'm heading there now. The hospital called earlier this morning, so I will check on your grandmother and talk to her doctor."

"Okay, send grandma my love," she told him.

"I will, and I'll meet you at home. Don't forget we are going car shopping tomorrow."

Rory laughed, "I remember dad."

Rory ended her call and DJ looked at her. "Everything okay?" he asked her.

"It will be." Rory picked up one of the folders and focused on what she needed to know.

"DJ, tell me about this company."

Rory was now becoming curious about this new information and how it was going to change her life.

DJ nodded and picked up the folder he began, "According to the material I researched, your grandfather and great grandfather, Victor Hayden acquired the publishing companies in 1982. They named it Hayden and Son, and it was your great grandfather's wish that it would be passed down to his grandson and your father's eldest child. The two men worked together investing in the business, and when he passed away, your grandfather and grandmother continued with hiring the best people to run the business. Eventually, they were able to build it into these three major publishing houses. He pointed to the list of companies they own that deals with information services.

"These companies provide information services which include news and information, cable network programming, digital real estate, book publishing, and digital education services. Not many publishing companies had the foresight to invest in the digital world, so this makes your company very attractive to other companies. "

"My grandfather died in 2004, so who was running it and knew enough to change everything?" she asked, surprised at this information.

"It was your father. He has always been interested in computers, and so when he took over your great grandfather's other companies, he also acquired this one. You and your father need to sit down and talk. There is a lot in here that you need to know."

'But I don't understand…. I never met my great grandfather and my grandfather Straub hated me…. I met him once, and he told me that I was a mistake."

DJ looked at her sadly and took her hand in his. Holding his large hand in hers, she began to feel better. She liked the power and confidence that he portrayed and instinctively felt his honesty and loyalty towards her father. Looking up at him, she swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. She always felt that lump whenever she remembered the day; she met her grandfather Straub. A tear started to leak from the corner of her eye. DJ reached up and gently wiped her cheek.

"Rory, look at me. He didn't feel that way. He might have said things at the heat of the moment. Your father and grandmother told me what a stubborn and strong-willed person he was. Your Grandmother adores you, and she is very proud of you. I have been working here about four years now, and a day doesn't go by without her mentioning your name and your accomplishments." Rory blushed and turned her head away from him. He gently put his finger under her chin and turned her head, so she was looking at him, "I understand that you went through a rough time recently."

Rory bit her lip, trying not to cry wondering what her father or grandmother had been saying. Nervously she asked, "What has my father told you?"

"Hey, your dad is anxious about you and wants to help you out. Recently when we went out for drinks, he confessed that he never was around when you were young and that he is glad that you have chosen to live with them now."

"Yes, I understand now how hard it was for them. Mom and dad were young when I was born, and it wasn't easy for either of them, especially for my mom. Unfortunately, Dad's timing was always wrong, but lately, he has been there for me, and he doesn't need to try to make up for the years he wasn't here. He's my dad, and I love him."

"Rory, I don't think that's what Chris or your grandmother are doing. This business is yours. It was set up upon your birth whether they agreed on how you were conceived. There is a lot of information here, and I know you will need time to read this over. Take it with you. What if we schedule another appointment together at the end of the week? How is Thursday for you?"

Rory pulled out her phone and opened her calendar app. She nodded, "That will work. What time will work for you?"

"How about lunchtime, I can meet you, and then I can answer any new questions or concern that you might have."

"Okay, that will work. Will one o'clock be okay?" she asked him.

"Why don't I meet you here at 12:30. I can order food for us, or we can go down the street where we can grab something to eat and talk."

"Perfect," she smiled, warmly at him. DJ smirked when he saw her eyes begin to clear up. He squeezed her hand.

"Rory, this is good news. I think that this job is perfect for you and I hope you will come and work here."

"Thanks, DJ, for taking the time to go over all this with me. I think I will take these folders home with me and go over them. Then I will need to talk to my dad. There is a lot of information here."

They left her father's office together, walking down the stairs to where Paris was waiting for them.

During the time that Rory was upstairs meeting with her father and Logan was talking with Christopher, Paris found a comfortable couch by the window to wait in the reception area. It was unusual for Paris to have any downtime, and immediately she pulled out a Medical journal that she had wanted to read from her large tote. She had started reading the article on Neonatal Intensive Care when she became distracted by the view that this room offered of the city. Even though it was downtown, they were high enough where they could see the river that ran through Hartford and some of the parks not far away. It was beginning to snow outside again, and the flakes appeared to shimmer in the afternoon sunlight as the snowflakes twirled slowly to the ground. She thought about Jess and wondered if it was snowing in Philadelphia and decided that she should return his call. She pulled out her phone and dialed the number. This was unusual behavior for Paris; she rarely made phone calls, and yet, she missed him and wanted to hear his voice. The phone rang four times, and she was just about ready to end the call when she heard his voice.

"Mariano," he responded. Jess was distracted with the galleys that were in front of him and didn't look at the caller ID.

"Mariano, Dr. Gellar here," Paris snipped.

"Hey, I meant to call you, but I thought I would wait until you were home. How's it going? Rory okay?"

"Yes, Rory is fine. She can drive, and she is excited about the job offer you made her. She is upstairs right now, talking to her father." Paris looked up and noticed that her father left his office and was going into the elevator. Paris thought that was strange since Rory wasn't with him.

"So, what's the deal with you and Rory?"

'What deal?" Jess responded frowning when he heard that question.

"The job, you offered her a job. Why didn't you offer her a job years ago? Maybe if you did, she never would have gotten in this mess with Huntzberger."

"Maybe, because she would not even consider it before. Paris, what's gotten into you? You sound jealous, are you jealous of Rory? Because if so, you shouldn't be. I offered her a job working for us and even suggested she come to Philly about two years ago, just before her article for the Atlantic Journal took off. She was on a high and wanted to write for the Times, she was heading to Hamburg to a writing conference, and we now know what happened there…."

"Oh, yeah…. Logan."

"Right! Logan! Paris you can't tell Rory what to do, you can point out what she is doing wrong, but if you try telling her what to do, she will do the opposite, I learned that the hard way."

"So, there is no other reason for the job offer?" Paris asked in a small voice.

"Babe, there is no other reason. Where are you now?" Jess asked, changing the subject.

"I'm sitting in the office of Hayden Publishing Co. You should see this place, it is amazing. I think she should take it, Jess. Is there a way she could write for you and still work here?"

"I don't see why not, but that has to be up to her, not me, and not you," Jess told her. Quickly changing the subject, Jess asked, "Paris, what is your schedule this week?"

"I go in tomorrow and work until 7:30, then I have Wednesday off and go back in on Thursday until Saturday morning. Why?"

"I thought I would come up this weekend. Would you like some company?" he asked her.

Smiling, she answered, "Yes, I am off from seven am Saturday morning until Monday at seven. So, we would have Saturday and Sunday together."

"Perfect," he replied. "I'll come in on Friday, meet with Rory and maybe her father. I'll call you when I get in. Listen I have to go, Matt and Chris walked i, and they have some galleys that I need to proof before they go to press."

"That sounds good Jess; I will see you this weekend."

Paris hung up the phone smiling and opened her article and began to read.

Two hours later, Rory walked down the stairs carrying a thick folder. Paris looked up from her article.

"Ready?" she asked as she closed the article and began to put her things away.

"Yea, sorry it took so long, "Rory apologizes putting on her coat and slipping the folder in the large tote she was carrying.

"What's that?" Paris asked her, looking at the folder that Rory just placed inside her tote.

"That is my reading for tonight. It is the contract along with the legal information about this company."

"Are you going to do it?" Paris asked her as they stepped into the elevator.

"Not sure. I need to sit down and talk to my dad. My great grandfather and grandfather bought this company in 1982, and it was designed for my father's eldest child to take it over. They named it Hayden and Son's Publishing company; guess they were in for a big surprise when I wasn't a boy. I wonder if my grandfather would have hated me as much if I had been born a boy." Rory pondered.

"That's the trouble with the men in that generation; they only saw women as housekeepers and bearers of their children. Look at your grandmothers; I bet neither one of them worked outside the house, at least your grandmother Hayden went back to work."

"Yea, I don't know much about my grandmother Hayden. I do know that my Grandmother Emily went to school at Brown and majored in Art History, but she was only interested in marrying a rich man. Her sister Hope went to Paris. I'm not sure what she ended up doing, but she is very wealthy, and to this day, they never speak."

The elevator pinged announcing that they were at the lobby. As the girls were walked out, Paris said, "I called Jess."

They walked to the valet, and Paris handed him her ticket.

"You did? Good, I'm glad," Rory said, smiling at her friend as she adjusted her coat and bag.

"Yea, he's coming up this weekend."

"Paris that's good news, maybe we can go out together, and Tris can get to know him better."

The car arrived, and they climbed in. "Thanks," Paris said as she tipped the valet. 

"Yes, that is a great idea. Where do you want to go now?" Paris asked Rory.

Rory hesitated, she wanted to see Tris but knowing that there was a chance she could run into Logan she decided against it.

"How about you drive me home. I want to go over some of these papers. Dad should be home soon." Rory said.

"Oh, that reminds me, I saw your father leave the meeting. Where did he go?"

"He went down to the law offices; Logan was there."

"Logan was here in the same building?" Paris asked, surprised.

"Yes, I'm not sure what they talked about. My dad left and told me that Logan would be in Hartford for a while. Logan's mother fell and is in the hospital with a broken ankle. I wonder if Tris knows?" she asked Paris.

"I'm not sure, but I saw him on Saturday wheeling his mother into the ER," Paris told her as she maneuvered in the traffic.

"You didn't say anything to me about it." Rory looked at her best friend in surprise. She thought Paris had her back and would have at least mentioned that she saw him.

"I couldn't, HIPAA an all," Paris replied, looking straight ahead as she pulled out into traffic.

.

"Oh please! If you want to get all "I'm a Doctor. And there are rules at least quote them right…. HIPPA says you can't say anything about the patient or anything you did for them. You can tell me he was in the building, but you can't tell me anything medically. Saying "HIPPA VIOLATION" is like yelling fire in a crowded theater, it's a lame way to say you want the "good" seats to the show and you forgot to book in advance. Logan is a passing stone, besides he's not the patient, his mother was…. Anyways he told Dad that he would be working and running HPG here."

"Are you worried?" Paris asked her.

Rory didn't answer, she just stared out of the window and wondered what she would do or say when she saw him again.

Tristan walked out of the elevator on Bliss 11 checking his phone wondering if Rory was finished with her meeting. He had been in surgery all morning, and now it was time for him to go on rounds and check on his patients, but he decided to go and check on Mrs. Hayden. His father was expecting them to come to their home between seven and eight. He did not hesitate about offering to help Rory. Tristan smiled, thinking about how his relationship with his parents has changed in the last seven years. He was glad they liked Rory too, even though he told her they would go slow, he knew she was the one for him.

As he rounded the corner of the hall to approach her room, he saw Logan Huntzberger standing at the nurse's station with a bouquet talking to Mollie and Sara. As he walked over towards the counter, he heard him say, "I just want to bring these flowers to Mrs. Hayden, are you sure I can't drop them off?"

Tristan approached the nurse's station and smiled at the two nurses, "Hi Sara, Mollie is everything alright?"

"Dr. Dugray, we were just explaining to Mr. Huntzberger that Mrs. Hayden's visitors are restricted."

"Oh, well Mr. Huntzberger I'm sure that if you leave the flowers here one of the nurse's aides could put them in a vase for Mrs. Hayden. Did you fill out a card?"

Logan looked embarrassed then he recognized Tristan from the other night.

"Hello, Logan Huntzberger we met the other night at On Twenty." Logan put his hand out to shake Tristan's.

"Yes, I do remember you," Tristan said, looking down at him. "I'm sorry we can't help you, but Sara, give Mr. Huntzberger a piece of paper, and maybe he can write a note to go with the flowers."

Sara handed Logan a piece of paper, and a pen and Logan went to write a note but changed his mind. "Never mind, I will have the florist deliver her fresh flowers tomorrow," Logan told her.

"Well it was good to see you again, Dr. Dugray," Logan said and nodded and walked toward the elevator carrying the flowers.

Ken, the charge nurse on the floor, came out of a room down the hall with a nurse's aide. "Dr. Dugray, is everything alright?" He looked in the directions where Tristan was watching Logan Huntzberger getting on the elevator.

"Yes, Ken, just make sure that Mr. Huntzberger doesn't come back to this floor to bother Mrs. Hayden," Tristan said.

"Sure, Doc," he replied.

Tristan walked into Mrs. Hayden's room and was surprised to see Christopher sitting there talking to his mother.

"Hello," Tristan announced as he walked into the room. "I stopped by to see my favorite patient. How are you doing today, Mrs. Hayden."

"You don't need to butter me up, young man. I already told Christopher that I approve of you dating my granddaughter. By the way, where is she, Chris?" Francine smiled at Tristan and winked.

"She is at that meeting. I don't think she is coming to visit today."

"Oh, is she talking with DJ?" she asked her son.

"Yes, and I am sure that she will have a lot of questions when that meeting ends. So, don't be surprised if she comes to the hospital with a lot of questions. She might even be angry."

"Oh dear, I told your father years ago that we should have told you kids about this. But he wouldn't agree."

Tristan listened to the conversation and wondered if Rory was going to be okay when he saw her later. "Hey Chris, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Chris replied.

"I just saw Logan Huntzberger at the nurse's station trying to convince the nurses to let him come back to Mrs. Hayden's room. Is Rory on her way here?"

"I don't think so; she told me that she was going to go home when her meeting is finished. Logan and I met earlier today, and I told him that the company was no longer for sale. I think he decided to visit my mother to see if he could convince her to give him a job."

"I job at Hayden Publishing? Wait doesn't he work for his father at HPG? Isn't he a vice president or something?" Tristan growled lowly, but both Chris and Francine heard him.

"Yes, he does. He told me that he and his father disagree, and he was tired of battling with him. I get it, I had similar issues with my father, once." Chris replied. Francine looked at her son and took his hand.

"Don't worry Tristan; my granddaughter has eyes only for you. She told me that." Francine whispered to Tristan. Tristan smiled at her, then picked up her chart and looked at the monitor.

"How are you feeling today?"

"Good, I have been sitting up for the last twenty minutes, and I started walking down the hall."

"Good, I'm going to go and finish my rounds, Chris let me know if you hear from Rory please."

"I will and don't worry Tristan," Christopher told him. "Rory plans on seeing you later today."

Tristan smiled and left the room and walked down the hall to check on the patients that he had on the floor. For the next thirty minutes, he walked into the rooms, checking in on his patients and talking to their families. As he was leaving the last room, he met up with Ken again with Dr. Ross leaving Mrs. Hayden's room.

"Everything okay?" he asked them.

"Yes, I was talking to Mr. Hayden and his mother. I am going to release Mrs. Hayden tomorrow and have her go to the rehab facility at Trinity Hill. She is making a lot of progress."

"That's great news. I'm sure the family will be happy with that. Will she be able to leave and attend Thanksgiving with her family?" Tristan asked.

"I am sure. She is a very strong person. She must remember that this will take time. I told Mr. Hayden that we would be transferring her tomorrow and he was okay with that since he had already made arrangements to be off tomorrow." Ross said, smiling at his friend.

A room buzzer went off, and Ken left to check on it as the men walked down the hall towards the elevator. "So, where's your girl today?" Ross asked him.

"Mare? The last I knew she was with Paris, and she had a meeting after her doctor appointment."

"Are you free tonight or are you seeing her?" Ross asked him before the elevator pinged for the next floor.

"Picking her up later tonight. Why?"

"Just wondering, you haven't been out with us in a while," Ross said, "I need someone to be the buffer with Ethan. He is driving me nuts."

Tristan gave Ross a big grin and patted him on the shoulder as he walked off the elevator onto the surgical floor. "You can handle him," Tristan shouted over his shoulder, laughing. The elevator door closed and Tristan could hear Ross cursing him.


	29. Chapter 28 Understanding the Trust

**Taking Back Control**

 **Chapter 28 Understanding the Trust**

Rory sat done in her grandfather's office in the back part of the house and opened the folder that DJ gave her. As she read the documents again, she looked at the date on the paper. The trust fund was written on the day before she was born. Rory wondered if her mother ever knew about it and if not, why was that information kept from her. Should she ask her grandmother's Emily and Francine about this? Should she talk to her parents about this? Why did it remain a secret for so long?

Rory got up and walked over to the window that was in the office. She looked out over the back yard where the gardens were. The families both had so many secrets. For awhile Rory's existence was one of those secrets.

Turning around, Rory put her hands back on the leather chair she was sitting in and wondered if it matters now. Life might have been different for her mother and father; would they have gotten married earlier? Would she still have gone to Chilton maybe even dated Tristan? Her life would have been different. Rory thought about all those years that she never saw or had a relationship with her grandparents. She never met Francine or Straub Hayden until she was sixteen and that turned into an embarrassing evening. She often wondered why her mother let her grandmother bully her. The games her grandmother Emily played to get her way… the Friday night dinners, the parties her grandmother insisted on giving her..., sweet sixteen, her twenty-first, the trip to Europe and then the Yale sausage party. Though her father wasn't around much when she was younger, she had a good life. She knew her father loved her, and her mother was her best friend who sacrificed a lot for her.

Rory smiled; her life didn't turn out so bad. Even though her grandmother Emily and mother disagreed, Rory was able to form a close relationship with her Gilmore grandparents. Rory idolized her grandfather Richard, and when he passed away, she was devastated. Without his influence and connections, she never would have gone to Yale or Chilton. They made sure that Rory had the best education and provided the funding for her when she needed it. She sat back down at the desk and thought about Chilton where she met, Tristan, Louise, Madelyn, and Paris. Paris, her nemesis at Chilton, became her best friend. Despite everything, Rory trusted Paris, to be honest, and straight with her.

Picking the papers back up, Rory sighed and continued reading through the document; she wished Jess was here so she could talk to him. She couldn't discuss this with Lane. Lane was her childhood friend, but she would never understand, their lives were so different. Lane was married and the mother of two twin boys and her and her husband were in a rock band on the weekends. She wondered if she should call Finn if he would be able to help her, but then she remembered that he was away for a while and couldn't be reached. 

Paris already told her what she should do, today, on the car ride home. She argued with Rory on the way home telling her that it was a "No Brainer," the company was her grandfather's legacy to her. It was her birthright. She wanted to argue back and remind her that Straub told her that her birth was a mistake

It was only three o'clock, and she wasn't sure what time her mother or Luke were bringing her grandmother's car back. She wouldn't see Tristan for at least four hours; she didn't know what to do. Rory got up and walked into the kitchen and made herself a cup of coffee and then returned to the office and continued to read the information. Coffee always settled her when she had some important decisions to make.

The Hayden Publishing Company, initially called Hayden and Sons Publishing company, HSP, was a merger of three major publishing houses and was heavily invested now in the digital print and publication. She read, back in 2014 - 15 that the company was losing money, then in the fall of 2016, their book products and other book publishing revenue, such as advertising and the sale of publishing rights, accounted for approximately 41% of their income. The Research revenue showed a 7% decrease, which was driven by the company transition to time-based digital journal subscription agreements, and the Professional Development segment showed a decline of 1%. She also noticed and highlighted that there was an increase in revenue that had to do with their online test and Preparation and certification, which was able to offset the decline of book revenue.

Now she was beginning to understand why they were reorganizing and how the last CEO contacted Mitchum making him aware of how this would be an easy sell. Rory pulled up the website and saw that HP publications and services were sold throughout most of the world. If she took over the company, would it mean she would have to travel more since 49% of the company's consolidated revenue came from non-US markets? As Rory continued to read, she noted that the company's book content is now mainly available through online platforms which were on the rise, she wondered if this was good or bad.

She began to write down notes on a yellow sticky pad and stuck them to the pages she wanted her father or Tristan's father to clarify. As she reread everything, she realized that there were two significant questions for her Pro/Con list….

 **Her role in the company,**

How much travel would she be expected to do?

What were her father and grandmother's expectations for her?

Her thoughts turned to Logan. He was groomed for this type of job his whole life, but Rory had little or no training. She had a few business courses she took at Yale but not at a level that she would need to run a worldwide company. Rory lacked the experience, and this concerned her. She thought about how Logan could do this job and be good at it.

Rory sat there, pondering her future. She had feelings for Tristan, and it seems that ever since they met 16 years ago at Chilton, something drew her to him. The sparks and desire she felt for him intrigued and frightened her. She wanted to have a relationship with him, but Rory worried if this job would interfere with her future with him. Tristan was a busy, successful surgeon, and she wondered if he expected her to stay home, keep a beautiful home, raise their children and become a member of the DAR, golf club, join a garden club and other committee's like his mother does.

 **What was she willing to risk…**?

Was running Hayden Publishing worth her happiness/ her future relationships, even a family?

Was she ready to face Logan in a competitive, cutthroat market?

Logan had given her a glimpse of this world when she attended some of the parties, galas, events, fund raisers and saw firsthand the back-door politics. She watched and listened as the trust fund babies discuss their latest conquests, homes, vehicles and business mergers. She tried to hold conversation with some of them and the "accessories" that the men had on their arms.

This was one of the reasons why she refused Logan's proposal. She didn't fit in. Her mother did not raise her to be another Emily Gilmore or Shira Huntzberger. Hartford Society was not the world she was comfortable in. Rory was happier in the bubble and the safety of Stars Hollow.

But now, Rory wondered if she worked for the Hayden Publishing company could she be happy working and attend those meetings, the galas, the events and play the politics that was required. Would she and Tristan adjust to that life?

Then there was the biggest question of all: **Why was Rory never told about the trust until now**

This was a question only her grandmother Francine and her father could answer.Straub Hayden's stubbornness and disappointment caused her mom and dad a chance at happiness together.

Rory realized that she needed to talk to someone and the only one who would understand was Jess. She picked up her phone and pressed his phone number. It rang three times before he answered it.

"Mariano," he answered.

"Hey Jess, it's me. Do you have a moment to talk?" she asked him.

"Ror, what's up, is everything okay? How did things go at the doctor's today?" he asked her with genuine concern in his voice.

"Yes, I'm fine, and I have permission to drive again. Listen, I didn't have time to talk long with my dad today because he had another meeting, so I spoke to my dad's lawyer. I have the documents in front of me."

" Well, is it a good deal?"

" Jess, my great grandfather, and grandfather Hayden set up the company when I was born, which also included a trust fund. All I can think of is how my mom struggled financially, and all that she gave up for me, and I don't know if she was ever told. I don't know if my grandfather ever told my father, since for many years he struggled financially too, going from one job to the next."

" You're telling me your grandfather's set this up and both your parents were never told?"

" Yes, the company was called HSP or Hayden and Son's Publishing, and it was started in 1983 by my grandfather and great-grandfather. They dropped the Son, but I don't know when. They own three primary publishing houses and recently invested heavily in the digital platform. Dad said they let the last CEO go and recently hired Eric Brady to be the CFO. Have you heard of him or HSP?"

"I have heard of HSP; they tried to get us to merge with them when my book became published and hit the New York Times Best Seller List. Eric Brady, I don't know, but if he is a CFO, Matt would know more about him and be able to find out information. That's interesting that they invested in the digital platform. That's a big deal for a company like them. Usually, it is the younger companies or smaller companies that embrace digital platforms. I know that HP hasn't yet. Do you know what their book revenue is?"

Rory quickly shuffled through the papers. "It is about 41%," she answered.

She heard Jess move things around and heard him typing on his keyboard. "HSP…. well it is a Global Publishing Leader, no wonder Huntzberger is sniffing around it. It's a big company, Ror. So, what is the problem?"

"The problem is that I know nothing about this type of publishing. I am used to newspapers and magazines, not research, professional development, and education. Yes, I worked on a digital platform when I send things digitally, but publishing is a different world. I'm a writer, Jess., a journalist.

I know that my dad became involved in this company after his grandfather passed away. According to Dimitri, my dad was the one who encouraged the Board of Hayden Publishing to go digital. I keep thinking about how Logan was groomed by his father to run HPG. I have no skills at all to run a company as large as this successfully."

"Doogie I think you are getting ahead of yourself. Are you thinking about working there?"

"I don't know…, Paris told me that I am a coward, that I am hiding out and will turn into a lonely cat woman. You should have heard her Jess. Paris thinks that this is my birthright and that it was about time I became the Queen Bee and let all the worker bees do my bidding. She called me a people pleaser and that I'm worried about pleasing everyone. Am I a people pleaser, Jess?"

Jess chuckled when he pictures Paris talking to Rory. "Paris is right, Rory. You need to stop doubting yourself and letting everyone dictate your life. What are you afraid of? You're a smart, talented, and published journalist. Here's your chance to show the Huntzberger men that you Rory Gilmore is their greatest competition. What are you terrified of?"

" Failure...being alone, disappointing everyone my grandmother and father. I don't have the training or knowledge to succeed."

" That's ridiculous, Rory. You need to step out of that bubble that your mother put you in. Life is a risk...take a chance."

" But what if I lose the chance of finding love again."

" Are you talking about Tristan?"

" Maybe," she whispered into the phone.

Jess sighed into the phone," Rory if this is serious between the two of you, you need to talk to him about your fears."

"We are taking our relationship slow… it's different from what I had with Logan. Jess, I don't know if I could be happy running a large business. Tristan is a successful surgeon; he doesn't want a partner who is working full time, traveling, attending galas, banquets, or board meetings."

" How do you know? Did you ask him?"

"Well…, no…, but he has a trust fund that he has given to his parents to run. So how would he feel about me now that I have a trust fund?"

Jess sighed again and rubbed his face, "Doogie, hey. I want you to listen to me. You need to talk to Tristan and tell him what you told me. Are you seeing him this week?"

" Later tonight, he is still at the hospital, and he doesn't get off until seven. We are going over to see his father. He is a lawyer, and he is going to look over the contract with me. I wanted someone who wasn't involved with my family to review it."

"That is a smart idea. Get a fresh set of eyes to review it."

"But Jess, should I show this contract to my mom? Should I confront both mom and dad about this? I mean you remember the hell my grandmother Gilmore put my mother through while I went to Chilton, and while I attended Yale."

"Ror, that's ancient history and what good would it do now? It would just bring up old wounds. In my opinion, you are doing the right thing by bringing the documents to Tristan's dad. The question you should ask yourself is what role they want you to have in this company and have them spell it out in your contract so that there will be no confusion. Then you and Tristan need to sit down and talk. If you two are going to be in a relationship, you will need to support each other. Ror, is Tristan willing to give you the support you need while working in this company? You didn't have it with Logan."

Jess paused waiting for Rory to say anything, she was quiet, so he continued. "Rory, I can't tell you what will make you happy. Only you can do this. This is about you now, not about your grandmother, father, mother… but you. What will make you happy."

"Yea, your right."

"Of course I am. I wouldn't lie to you."

Rory smiled when she heard this and thought about the smug look Jess had on his face as he told her this. She missed him so much and wished he was there so she could give him a hug.

"Thanks, I'm glad I called you. Will I see you soon?"

"I'll be there this weekend. I'm glad you called too, Doogie. You know, you can call me anytime. I'm here for you."

"Thanks Jess. I'll see you this weekend."

They said their goodbyes, and she ended the call. She sat staring at the blank computer screen, for ten minutes, thinking about what Jess said. Finally, she grabbed her empty coffee cup and went into the kitchen to see if she could help Eunice.

At four Christopher walked into his house with his youngest daughter Gigi, talking about his visit with his mother. As they walked into the kitchen, he saw Eunice and Rory standing at the counter, their hands in dough and flour. Rory was standing at the kitchen counter wearing an apron and using a rolling pin to roll out the dough. Chris smirked when he saw that and noticed the pie plates out with a bowl full of sliced apples with sugar and cinnamon between them. They were chatting away, and Eunice was giving her hints on how to roll the dough so it wouldn't stick to the counter.

Looking at them, he turned to his youngest daughter and whispered, "Quick Gigi, get out your phone. I never thought I would see the day when Rory would be in the kitchen wearing an apron making a pie crust."

Gigi quickly took a picture of Rory and teased, "Rory, what's Tristan's phone number I think I will send him this picture."

"You will do no such thing, if it gets back to him that I learned how to cook, then I will have to cook for him," Rory responded raising her eyebrows at her. Gigi laughed and continued taking pictures of her sister.

" Dad, what is Aunt Lorelai's number? I bet she would like that picture."

Rory picked up some flour and threw it at her and soon the girls were laughing and throwing flour at each other. Eunice looked at the two of them and shook her head. It was so good to hear laughter coming from the two sisters. It had been a very sad and quiet household before Rory came to stay here. Eunice was not upset that the girls had made a mess of her kitchen. Since Rory had arrived, Christopher and Francine seemed happier.

"Rory, I think it's time to put the pie crust in the dish and fill it with the apples," Eunice told her when the girls stopped throwing flour at each other. Gigi took off her coat and backpack that she still had on, which was covered with flour. She hung it up in the back entranceway but kept her phone beside her as she sat down at the counter, watching her sister put the pie crust in the dish. Eunice cut up some more apples and handed them to Gigi to eat, while Chris left the kitchen smiling walking to his office to check his messages, emails and return some phone calls.

When the pie was in the oven, and the kitchen was clean, Rory walked back to her father's office and knocked at the door.

"Dad?" she asked when he looked up and saw her there. "Is everything okay? You look upset."

"No, hon, everything is fine. I just spoke to your mother and Luke; they are returning the car around seven after the dinner rush. But I won't be able to go car shopping with you tomorrow as I planned."

"Oh, that's fine. I'm sure I can figure something out. Can I ask you a question?"

Chris sat back in his chair and looked at his daughter; he had been wondering when she would ask him the question about the trust fund that was set up for her.

"How long have you known about the trust fund that was set up for me the day I was born?"

"Your mother and I knew that trusts were set up for you by both my parents and her parents, but when your mother refused to get married and left with you, we both figured that they dissolved them."

"I knew that I had a small trust fund that grandpa Gilmore left me, and great grandma Lorelai left me one too. I also knew mom did not want me to be a part of the life in Hartford society, so she gave up the rights to her trust fund I guess, the day she left with me," Rory said quietly to her dad.

"Yes, and so did I. But Hayden and Son Publishing kept making money and your grandmother Francine insisted that it be available for me to take over. Your great grandfather also convinced my father not to disinherit you, but my father never told us. It wasn't until I took over the company in 2004 that I knew anything about Hayden and Son Publishing. A mutual friend or associate of the Huntzberger and my father was running the business. When I joined the board, I encouraged the board to begin looking in the digital software direction. Your grandmother had the controlling vote and attended all the board meetings. Mom would listen to me, and the members of the board on Hayden Holdings as we discussed the changes that were going on in the publishing industry, so in 2014, she agreed to start investing in the digital platform. I had no idea that you had a trust fund until you were in the hospital. That's when your grandmother told me about it. I was angry at first knowing how you had been struggling to make your way in this industry, and here was a job you could have had right out of Yale."

"I guess Mitchum never knew about it either because if he knew that I was a Hayden, he would have let Logan marry me, Then eventually he would have encouraged Logan to take over the company," Rory stated as she leaned back in her chair too.

" Things have a way of working out for a reason, Rory," her father replied.

"I guess in the long run it was better this way. By watching Logan's parents, I realized that the life that they live is not the life I want."

" Rory, have you thought more about working at Hayden Publishing?" he asked hesitantly.

" Dad, I started a pro/con list. To be honest, I don't know if I can do this type of work or if I want to live this type of life. Mom didn't raise me to be shallow, heartless, or manipulative. I tried that life when I lived with grandma Emily."

"But you are not Emily. And you don't have to live or be like her. Rory, I don't want you to rush into any decisions yet. There are many things about this business that you can learn, and you don't have to run your business as my father or Mitchum Huntzberger does."

Rory sighed and looked at her father, "Tristan's father is a lawyer, and I am going to meet with him tonight and talk to him about this. I have nothing against DJ, but I need someone who is outside the business to give me advice."

"Okay, that's fair. I can respect that. I want you to look at the whole picture before you make a decision." Christopher got up out of his chair and walked around to where she was sitting. She stood up, and they hugged each other.

" Dad, how's grandma?" she finally asked.

"She has made enough improvement that they are moving her to Trinity Hill Care facility tomorrow afternoon. That's why I can't go car shopping with you tomorrow like I promised."

" That's okay day, but that is excellent news about grandma. I will go and visit her once she becomes settled."

"Good, Hon. I know she will like that. She worries about you." He kissed his daughter's forehead then looked at her.

"Ror? Are we good?"

"Yes dad, we are."

Rory returned to her room and sent a text to Tristan.

 _ **Rory**_

" _ **Hey, can you take me car shopping tomorrow?"**_

Tristan had just walked into the surgeon's locker room when he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out of his scrub's pocket and looked at it. It was from Rory. Leaning on the lockers, he quickly sent her a message.

 _ **Tristan**_

" _ **Of course. Are we still on for dinner tonight? My last surgery was canceled, and I can be at your house by five thirty. I thought we could grab something to eat before we stop by my fathers at seven."**_

Tristan hit the send button and began to change out of his scrubs into his street clothes.

"Well, you look happy," Ethan said as he walked into the lounge.

Tristan just smirked as he pulled on his black v neck sweater and then his jeans. He was putting his phone back in his pocket when the phone vibrated again.

 _ **Rory**_

 _ **Perfect. See you at five thirty.**_

Smiling Tristan looked back at Ethan. "I am! I am taking Rory to dinner tonight. So, what's up?"

"Are you on call tonight and tomorrow?" Ethan asked him.

"Nope, I am off until Wednesday, why?"

"Just wondering, by the way, when are we going to have guys' night? Connor is driving me nuts."

"Funny you should say that," Tristan said giving Ethan a smirk. "He says the same about you. So, I recommend you two get along." Tristan finished dressing and grabbed his coat and things.

"See you on Wednesday," Tristan said and slapped Ethan on his shoulder as he walked out the door.

Tristan left the lounge and walked to the elevator. He hit the button for the parking garage and was leaning against the back wall checking his text messages. The elevator stopped on the fifth floor, and Logan Huntzberger walked on with a couple with two young boys. Tristan looked up from his phone and nodded. Logan was busy talking to the woman, and he heard her say, "Logan, how long are you going to let this fake engagement go on?"

"Honor let's get mom home first and get through Thanksgiving. I'm swamped with work, and now that Hayden Publishing is not for sale, I have to figure out how I can work with them."

"Didn't you say that they hired a new CEO?" she asked him.

"Yea, Eric Brady. Josh, what do you know about him?" Logan asked the man who was with the two young boys.

"He's from the Midwest, worked for CNN before coming here," Josh responded.

The elevator stopped at the second floor and Josh took the boys by the hand saying," Come on boys, lets visit grandma."

Tristan watched as they walked off the elevator following Logan and his sister down the hall.


	30. Chapter 29 Talking It Out

**Taking Back Control**

 **Chapter 29 Talking It Out**

Rory brought her messenger bag and leather jacket with her and laid it over the arm of the couch in the front room before she walked into the kitchen. She sat down at the bar watching Eunice spread out the dough out on a large pan and smelled the spicy aroma of a marinara sauce bubbling on the stove.

" What are you making for dinner tonight?" Rory asked her.

"Miss Gigi wants pizza. I can't see calling the pizzeria for a pizza when I can make it better myself."

"You are a woman of many talents," Rory said to her smiling

"One of these days miss, I will have you cooking in here with me. Mark my words."

Rory laughed. "You know those are brave words; however, the pie does smell delicious. Please save me a piece."

"Of course, I will make sure your sister and father don't eat it all. Should I plan on saving some for your young man too?"

Rory smiled, "I think that is a good idea. We just won't let him know I made it. I told him I couldn't cook."

Eunice laughed, and the two women sat there and chatted.

The doorbell rang, running to the door, Gigi yelled, "I've got it."

Gigi smiled when she saw Tristan standing at the front door.

"Hi Doctor Dugray, oops I mean Tristan," she said giggling when he raised his eyebrow at her.

"Hi Gigi, is your sister ready to go?"

"She's in the kitchen. Are you having dinner with us? We are having pizza and homemade apple pie. Rory helped Eunice make it."

Gigi quickly showed him the pictures she took of Rory wearing an apron holding a rolling pin. He was laughing as he looked through the images on Gigi's phone as he forwarded a few of the pictures to his phone when Rory walked into the living room.

"Hi, I thought I heard you. What are you two doing?"

Gigi and Tristan looked up together with silly grins on their faces and said, "Nothing."

Gigi quickly took her phone from Tristan and said, "Ummm Dr. Dugray, oops I mean Tristan, Could I ask you something?"

"Sure," he answered.

"Can you tell me how my friend Sam is?" she asked.

Tristan smiled. "I think if you called her house, you might be able to talk to her. I heard that her dad brought her home this afternoon." Gigi hugged Tristan around the waist.

"Oh, thank you. Dad, I'm going to call her now."

She ran upstairs to call her best friend.

"Thank you Tristan. You just made her day. She's been worried about her," Christopher told him.

"I know how it is to worry about a friend who had an operation," he said, looking at Rory. "Are you ready, Mare?"

"Yes, I am. Dad, I will see you later," Rory said, kissing him on the cheek. Chris walked them to the front door smiling as he watched his daughter leave with Tristan.

Rory and Tristan left, and fifteen minutes later, Lorelai and Luke pulled up and parked in the driveway. Lorelai got out of Francine Hayden's car, and Luke got out of his truck. They walked to the front door and rang the bell. Chris answered the door and smiled when they saw them.

"Thanks for returning the car. Come on in," Christopher said, holding the door open for them. "Do you have time to have a cup of coffee?" he asked them.

Lorelai handed the keys to Christopher then looked at Luke.

"Sure, Lorelai?" Luke said and looked at his wife. After seeing Rory when she arrived at the diner, he thought that maybe they could sit down and talk and maybe Christopher could give them some insight on what was going on with her. Since they returned from their honeymoon, Rory had not spent much time with Lorelai, and he knew how that bothered her."

"You know I never would refuse a good cup of coffee. Is Rory here?" she asked, following Chris and Luke into the warm kitchen. Chris poured Lorelai some coffee and handed Luke a beer while he took one out for himself.

"No, you just missed her. She just left with Dr. Tristan Dugray."

"Really? I wish I knew what was going on with her. I didn't realize that she was serious and dating anyone. Then when we go on our honeymoon, I find out that she went to the hospital and Logan is back in her life. I'm worried." Lorelai stated.

"I understand Lor, and I think the three of us need to talk. She just found out some new information. Would you like to stay for dinner?"

Lorelai looked at Luke, and he nodded.

"Thanks, Chris, we can stay. It smells delicious."

"Let's go sit in the dining room. I will tell Eunice you are staying for dinner. We have a lot to talk about."

Christopher walked back into the back area of the house to tell Eunice that Lorelai and Luke will be joining them. Eunice followed him out to the kitchen and pulled out some cheese, crackers, fruit, and placing it on a board, she brought it to the dining room, smiling at Lorelai and her husband. Lorelai hugged Eunice and introduced her to Luke. She then returned to the kitchen and began to prepare a second pizza and a Caesar Salad.

Chris came back into the dining room with a bottle of red wine and a glass for Lorelai.

"What's this for?" she asked him.

"We might want it for dinner, since we are having pizza, or you might want some now."

"Chris, what's going on?"

"Rory knows…. Lorelai."

"What does she know?" Lorelai asked him, confused. Luke sat there sipping his beer wondering if this has anything to do with her sudden appearance in Stars Hollow yesterday.

Chris looked at Lorelai and said. "About the trust fund that was set up on the day she was born. My mother changed her will and I found out about it. So, I told Rory about it today."

"What?! Wait, are you telling me that your family set up a trust fund when Rory was born? By who?"

"Yeah, apparently my grandfather and father set it up and never told us about it. Part of the trust fund is Rory will sit on the board and take over Hayden Publishing Company."

Lorelai sat there stunned. She grabbed the bottle of wine and filled her glass.

"You are telling me that a trust fund was set up for our daughter, and no one ever told us? I wonder if my parents knew, it would be just like my mother to keep that information from me." Lorelai stated all upset. Taking another sip of her wine, she looked at Luke then at Chris.

"Why did you decide to tell her now Chris?"

Chris looked down at his hands and took the bottle of beer that was in front of him. He brought it to his lips and took another sip.

"Look, Lorelai this is all news to me. I had no idea that my father and grandfather set this up. My mother told me when she went to the hospital. I am not sure if she was ever going to let Rory know, but when Rory was in the hospital, my mother became concerned."

"Oh, so now she's concerned! Where was that concern for her for the last 32 years? Remember how they treated us, Christopher. Your father wanted me to have an abortion. Then for sixteen years, we never heard from them. They lived in Europe and put you through hell. They returned suddenly and my parents had that surprise dinner for them? Do you remember that? How they treated her, us?"

Lorelai was angry. She got up from her chair and looked at Luke. "Luke, we need to go."

Luke looked at Lorelai and then at Chris, he didn't move.

"Lorelai, please let me explain. Yes, my parents were wrong, and my mother has felt guilty about that. You know how my father bullied her and everyone around him. When I got the call that Rory was in the hospital, I rushed over there. When I came home, my mother suggested that Rory come and stay with us. While she was recuperating here, my mother showed me an album she had been keeping chronicling Rory's life. In it were images of her that your mother had sent her along with newspaper articles and her high school graduation announcement and a photo of her graduation from Yale. When she realized that Rory was no longer working as a journalist and no longer involved with Logan, she told me to offer her a job at Hayden Publishing."

"Your father owned a Publishing Company and you never said anything?" Lorelai glared at him. She couldn't believe it. Her daughter could have been living close by all this time, not traveling around the world. Luke reached over and held her hand.

"Look Lorelai, I just found out about Hayden and Son's publishing company few years ago. By that time Rory was working as a foreign correspondent and seemed happy. You know I tried to offer her help in the past, and she always turned me down."

"Christopher, can you blame her?" Lorelai asked him.

"No, and I respect her for it. But Lorelai she is my daughter and if I can help her, I will. I know I was never around when she needed me when she was younger, but she needs me now."

"It's a little late, don't you think?" Lorelai said, glaring at him.

"Lorelai…" Luke said looking at her,

"Look, Rory is an adult, and my mother felt that it was time she tell her about what is rightfully hers. She loves Rory, and Rory loves her back. They have grown closer. My mother has no hidden agenda, and neither do I. Look Lorelai, this trust fund was set up for her. My mother contacted her lawyers and changed her will. The company is hers along with the money in the trust. Last week while Rory was at the hospital visiting mom, they talked, and she asked her if she was interested in working at Hayden Publishing."

"Chris, why was I never told about this?"

"Lore, my dad was so damn stubborn that he died without telling us about it. I'm not sure if your parents ever knew. According to my mother, my father planned on telling us at the dinner your parents had for Rory's sixteenth birthday, but that awful argument happened at dinner."

Lorelai sat there and shook her head.

"Look Lorelai, he disinherited me, and it was my grandfather's businesses that I inherited. After Dad died, I began to help my mother with the other companies and rely on the lawyers that worked for him. My mother asked for advice, and I began to work with the publishing company. It was my research and suggestion that the company could make money if we went digital. I had planned on offering her a job at Hayden Publishing, but my mother said no. My parents for some reason, never trusted the Huntzbergers. She felt that if Mitchum found out that Rory was their granddaughter, he would use her and go after the company. Listen, Rory didn't call me often after our marriage ended…., well it was my own fault I didn't even try to reach out to her."

Lorelai looked at Luke with tears in her eyes. Sitting there biting her lip she looked at Luke, who sat quietly in his chair, sipping his beer.

For years Lorelai raised Rory alone with very little help, Rory was always levelheaded and goal-oriented until she met Logan. Now she felt guilty for not encouraging Rory to stay in touch with her father.

"Chris, what was her reaction?  
.

"She is not sure what to do. She has a job offer from Jess to write articles for his publications, and of course, she has the chance to run Hayden Publishing."

"A job with Jess? Did you know about that, Luke? Jess lives in "Philadelphia. Is she thinking about moving? I thought she and Tristan had something going on."

Luke looked at Lorelai, surprised, "I haven't spoken to Jess."

"Lorelai look ever since she got out of the hospital, she and Tristan have grown close. I like him; he cares for her and doesn't seem to have another agenda. Look, Logan has been around, I don't know what he wants, but as long as she is with Tristan, I think she will be okay."

Lorelai sat there, blinking back the tears. She wanted the best for her daughter, and Christopher was right, Rory was an adult and needed to make her own decisions. Luke reached over and grabbed her hand and held it.

"Lor, it's Rory's life."

"I know..., but I want to talk to her," Lorelai told him as a tear slowly escaped from her eye.

"Listen Lorelai, Rory met with a lawyer from my office today. They talked for two hours discussing the trust and her roll at Hayden Publishing. She came home and asked me some questions. She then told me that she was going to get some outside advice tonight."

"Advice from who?"

"Jackson Dugray... "

"Is he related to Tristan?"

"His father."

Lorelai sat there with her arms across her chest, not saying anything. Chris looked at Luke. Luke picked up his beer and didn't respond.

Finally, Luke asked, "Has she heard from Logan at all? He came to Stars Hollow the other day looking for her."

"I'm not surprised. Logan has come to see me a few times. Mitchum wants to buy the company, but it's not for sale. So today Logan showed up at my office and told me that he heard that we were looking for a new C.O.O."

"What did he want?" Lorelai asked Chris.

"He told me that he would be the perfect person to run Hayden Publishing. I told him we hired someone; then he asked me if I heard from Rory."

"What did you say?"

"I told him I hadn't seen her. It seems like Logan will be around Hartford for a while. His mother broke her ankle, and he doesn't want to return to Europe, and he canceled his wedding."

"He asked you for a job?" Luke asked him, surprised. "What about the job he has. I mean he was working for his father?"

Christopher rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know according to him; he doesn't want to work for his father anymore even though he is in charge of the HPG accounts here in the states."

"Did you tell Rory that he is looking for her and that he wants to work for Hayden Publishing?" Lorelai shook her head. "What did I do wrong. We used to be so close and now she doesn't confide in me anymore."

"Lorelai," Luke said her name in a warning voice.

"Luke, she is with Bible Boy now, and he is just like Logan. She has a type, rich blonde trust fund men who will only hurt her."

Christopher looked at Lorelai and said, "Lor. Look, she is not a child anymore; she's an adult. Yes, I want to protect her too, but she will be the first to tell us she doesn't need protecting."

Christopher looked at Lorelai and Luke, hoping they would understand that these last few weeks he has watched his daughter heal after a life changing event. Rory found strength in the love and support she received in his home and from Tristan Dugray. Rory is no longer a timid little girl. He knows that just like her mother, she is stubborn, proud, and strong. If Rory needs help, she'll ask. He won't push or force her to choose working at Hayden Publishing Company. This was her choice.

"No, she's running from Logan and Tristan is her rebound. She claims this is different that she feels sparks with Tristan."

"Lorelai, Christopher is right. If you push, you won't see her again. I know these last few years have been tough with her so far away. But you need to try to listen to her."

"Lorelai, she will be fine," Christopher said. "I trust Tristan, and I think Luke does too."

"I do," Luke nodded.

Just then, Gigi came skipping into the room, and immediately she noticed Lorelai and Luke were in the room with her father.

"Auntie Lorelai," Gigi said, hugging her and smiling shyly at Luke.

"Hi Gigi," Lorelai said, hugging the young girl back.

Gigi smiled at Luke and then said, "Are you staying for dinner? Rory made an apple pie for dessert. Eunice showed her how and I have pictures to prove it."

Surprised to hear this information about his stepdaughter Luke responded, "Rory was in the kitchen, cooking!"

Christopher started laughing. "We kid you not. She was wearing one of Eunice's aprons and rolling out pie crust when we walked in today. Of course, there was flour all over everything."

Gigi showed Luke and Lorelai the pictures, and they all started laughing.

"Oh, Dad. Sam is home, and her dad said she could have visitors tomorrow. Will it be okay if I go there after school?"

"Sure kiddo," he said, smiling at her. Gigi left the room, and they began talking again.

"So, what do you think Rory will do?" Luke asked Christopher. Her arriving at his diner yesterday in Stars Hollow all made sense now.

"I'm not sure. Rory spoke to Jess this morning, and he told her to sit down and talk to me to see what we had to offer but confirmed that no matter what she decided that she still has a job with him. He also told her to talk to you Lorelai."

Luke nodded, and Gigi came back into the dining room with plates, followed by Eunice, who brought in the salad and two sheet pizzas.

Rory sat in Jackson's office with Tristan waiting for Jack to finish reading the will and all the documents. He took off his glasses and looked at her. Rory was nervous, she pulled her bottom lip in her mouth and was running her tongue along it. Tristan pulled her hand off her lap and intertwined their fingers.

"Hey," he said, "There is nothing for you to worry about. This document is not going to change you."

"Rory," Jack said to her, "These papers are all legal. I'm not sure what you wanted me to find."

"You are saying that the trust and everything that is listed in there is true…,all this money is mine?"

"Yes," Jack said chuckling.

"I don't know what to do; I have no idea how to run a business or to sit on a board for a large company. Also, it says here that I own shares in HPG, they are our competition, why do I have shares in that company. What does that mean?"

Tristan squeezed her hand, and she looked at him as she twisted the ring on her finger.

"Hey, don't worry about it, you are smart Mare. I am sure it won't take you long to figure things out." Tristan smiled, trying to reassure her.

Rory stood up and began to pace the room. "Tristan that's what bothers me. I wasn't brought up in this world. My mother protected me from it. I have no idea about boardrooms or board meetings, nor do I want to. I watched Logan's father forced him into this life, and it changed him. I don't want to change. I don't want to lose me. I am happy writing, living simply not attending meetings, or social parties or events."

"Rory it won't change you, and no one is forcing you to be on the board. Look I own a few companies, and my parents are on the board. These things can be worked out."

She turned to him and his father and said, "I like being with you, and I don't want to lose what we have, where we are going." Tristan walked over to her and put his arm around her shoulder.

"Mare, I don't want to lose you either, but it will take a lot more than have you working at Hayden Publishing to lose you."

She looked around Jackson's office filled with books and antique furniture. Was this going to be her life?

Rory turned in his arms and looked at Jackson and asked, "Why do you think that my grandparents set this up? I mean it was at my sixteenth birthday, that Straub told me I ruined my father's life. "

"Rory, no one knows what was going through his head. Maybe your grandmothers could explain to you what happened."

Rory stood rubbing her arms thinking about the last seventeen years. All those years her mother scraped by, borrowing money from her grandparents so that she could attend Chilton, giving her a better chance to attend an Ivy League school. Her father tried to help, to be there for her

Rory looked up to the ceiling fighting back the tears. It was Jackson that walked over to her and touched her shoulders.

"Rory, I don't know why Straub Hayden did what he did. However, he did leave you with an inheritance that you will need help managing. If you are on the board of the company or running the company, it seems like your father and grandmother are offering you a way to support yourself. Listen, if you have any questions, I will be glad to help, and we already help Tristan with his inheritance."

Rory looked at him and reached out and hugged him. "Thank you," she told him.

Tristan walked over to his dad, "Thanks dad," as he touched his father's shoulder.

"Look, I will leave you two alone. I am going to write down the name of a good lawyer who can work with you on this." He went back to his desk and wrote down a name.

He handed her a piece of paper; on it he wrote DJ Dimora's name along with Oscar McCrae's. She smiled as she read the names.

"I met with DJ already," she said, "He was the one my dad had me see to go over all this."

"He's the best. He is only a few years older than you and Tristan. His father was a friend of mine and worked in Straub's office. DJ has been running the law offices there since his father passed away. Your dad is more of a figurehead at the company."

Rory looked at Jackson, surprised.

"Look, from what I have heard and seen your father has made some improvements in the company since he has taken it over, it has grown more than anyone ever expected. I want you to listen to what both your father and DJ as to say. I knew your dad when he was a young kid. He was so in love with your mother, but their parents had plans for them.

If your dad is bringing in someone to help you, then embrace it. I don't think your father would do anything to make you feel uncomfortable or risk the Hayden and Holding Business. He has been working too hard to make it successful."

Tristan put his arm around her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Mare, you can do this, I know you can." He turned and faced her slowly moving his hands down her arms and intertwining their fingers. "If you want me to go with you to talk to your father and meet DJ and the person your father hired, I will. If you want my advice, I'm here for you, or if you don't want my advice, then that is fine. Mare, you need to make your own decision. I know how overwhelming it is, when I inherited my money from my grandfather, I took my money and made it into a trust to be invested for something good. I don't need all that money to be happy. I am much happier being a surgeon."

He put his forehead on hers and said, "Babe, I'm not going anywhere. We will take each day slowly, I promise. Okay?"

Rory smiled at him and kissed him on the lips. "Yes."

She looked over at Jackson and smiled. "Thank you, I'm sorry that I freaked out."

"I understand. Both Gwen and I are here for you if you ever need someone to talk too."

Jackson left his office leaving Rory and Tristan alone. She put her arms around his neck as he held her gently by the waist. "Thank you. I feel a little better now. I guess I will need to talk with both my father and grandmother. I need to find out how involved I need to be."

"Or want to be," Tristan added, kissing her lips.

"Yea," she put her head on his chest, and he held her tight.

"Come on, Let's go back to my place and we can talk. Do you still want to go car shopping tomorrow?"

"Yes, if you have time," she answered as she put the folder back into her tote that she put on her shoulder.

"For you, I have all the time in the world."

Rory gave him a grin, and they walked out of his father's office, stopping in the kitchen before they left. His parents were sitting at the counter, having a glass of wine talking.

"Can we get you two a drink?" Gwen asked them.

"Thanks, mom, but I think I am going to take Mare home."

"Thanks again, Mr. Dugray, for your advice."

"Rory, call me Jack, and it was my pleasure." Rory hugged him and then hugged Gwen.

"Rory, anytime you want to talk or have lunch give me a call," Gwen told her, hugging her too.

"Thank you; I would like that." They said goodbye, then walked out to his car and headed to his apartment.

Returning to Tristan's apartment, he immediately started a fire while Rory poured them each a glass of wine. She brought it to the loveseat in front of the fireplace and sat down and handed Tristan his glass. Tristan sat beside her and pulled her to his side, where she immediately put her head on his shoulder. They sat there for a few minutes, sipping their wine and watching the fire.

"How did your doctor appointment go with Dr. Addison," he asked her.

She leaned up and smiled at him. "Fine, she said I could resume all my activities, and we discussed birth control. After talking to her and Paris, I decided to take the Depo shot, and I had my first shot today. Paris volunteered to give me my shot every three months, so I don't need to worry about appointments."

"You know, Mare, I can do that too." Tristan grinned down, leaning in for a kiss then nipped her bottom lip.

"I know." She responded, smiling up at him. "Now I need a car, and then I need to find a place to live since I will be sticking around here."

"So, does that mean you are considering your father's offer?" Tristan asked her.

"I'm not sure, but whether I take dad's offer or Jess's offer I can stay in the Hartford area, unless…."

"Unless what?"

"Unless you and I…."

"Don't even think about that, we are together," he told her, pushing his forehead to hers.

"I have waited too many years to get you into my life, and I am not going to let you go. Mare, I am serious. Why don't you move in here with me?"

"That's not slow. The last time I jumped into a relationship, it backfired."

"Mare, we aren't kids, and I think we know what we want. Do you want to be with me?"

"Yes…."

"Can you see us having a future together?"

"Ummmm…."

Rory stood up and walked towards the patio window and looked out over the city. She wrapped her arms around herself. Rory wanted to say yes to Tristan, but she was afraid. She was worried that she still had unresolved feelings for Logan.

Turning, she looked at him and whispered, "Tristan, it's not that I can't see us having a future together, but I am not sure what my future holds. How would you feel having me work full time and long hours at a world publishing house, having to attend board meetings and travel to different events? Would it be okay if I went to the fundraiser, publishing parties and award banquets? Or what if I didn't do that and I just wrote, traveling to different places to write stories and articles. Working closely with Jess."

Tristan scratched his forehead and then rubbed the back of his neck. Standing up, he walked across the room towards her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently slid his hands down her arms.

"Mare, it makes no difference to me if you work at Hayden Publishing or Truncheon Books. I want you to be happy, and I will support you just like I hope you will support me. I never wanted to get involved with anyone because the life of a surgeon can be very time-consuming. My job will come first, I have crazy hours, and I will have to leave at the drop of a hat to rush to the hospital. I hold people's lives in my hands every day, sometimes I save lives, and there are times I lose them. Those times are painful, and I may not come home right away. I am willing to open my life to you if you want me. We both will make the sacrifice, but I will make them with you. All I ask is that you don't run, and we talk to each other. Will I be jealous of the time you spend with Jess or anyone else? Of course, but if I know that I come first in your life than I can deal with it. What about you? Do you want a life with me?"

"Tristan, I care about you so much, but we need to learn about each other. We were kids when we first met, and I still have trust issues. I will be honest; I am afraid that I may never be able to trust someone again."

"I get that, so I won't push you to move in with me. I will help you find your place. I'm off tomorrow, do you want to start looking for a car?"

Rory smiled and nodded.

Tristan cupped her face, "Mare, whatever you need. I'm here for you as I hope you'll be for me. I meant what I said. There's something special between us, and I, for one, want to give it the time it needs to flourish and blossom into whatever it's supposed to be.

Mare, my plans for tonight were to convince you that I wanted to be exclusive. "

Rory looks up at him and cocks her head. She searches his eyes and sees that they are sincerity in them. He wants this; he wants her baggage and all. In all the world there isn't another man like him. He is willing to work through this with her.

Rory ran her fingers over his face, feeling the contours, the lines of his cheekbones, the roughness of his stubble. She stepped closer and brushed her lips against his. Tristan grasped the back of her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. He kisses her gently then adds pressure as his tongue glides across the seam of her lips. Unable to contain themselves, Tristan holds Rory's head in his hands and pulls her into a fiery and passionate kiss. They pull apart taking shaky, shallow breaths as he puts his forehead against hers.

"Mare, I'm in... can we do this… be exclusive."

Rory wrapped her arms around his neck and looked into his blue-gray eyes and nodded. "I can, can you be patient?"

Rubbing his nose against hers, he said, "For you, I can. Mare, I think I better take you home. What time do you want to go car shopping?"

They put on their coats and took the elevator to the garage where his car was parked.

"How about late morning?" she asked him.

"Okay, I will pick you up, and we will go out and have breakfast, and then we can go look for a car for you."


	31. Chapter 30 Moving

**Chapter 30 Moving**

In the next morning, Honor received a phone call from the hospital saying that their mother was responding well, and she would be released. Honor quickly made some phone calls to plan to have a private duty nurse to come to their home; then she called her father. After letting the phone ring six times, she left a message,

" **Dad, I just received a phone call from the hospital, and mom is coming home today. Please call me."**

Honor hangs up the phone disgusted.

"This is ridiculous, "she mumbled to herself. "Why do I have to be the adult in the Huntzberger clan!"

Thankfully noticing it was 9:30 she knew Logan would be in the office. She poured herself a mug of coffee and dialed his number. Honor knew her brother was her father's puppet, always there cleaning up the mess their father made. It seemed to come full circle. Like father like son. Honor had hoped that Logan would not follow in his footsteps, but when he gave up Rory and became engaged to Odette, she saw the writing on the wall. Now, she wondered with Odette's recent behavior if Logan was ready to cut those strings.

The phone rang, and a young female voice answered the phone.

"HPG. How can I direct your call?"

" Yes, this is Honor Huntzberger Levin. I need to speak to Logan Huntzberger," she said, briskly into the phone.

"Just a moment, please."

Honor stood in her kitchen, tapping her foot as she took a swallow of coffee. They needed to be at the hospital by eleven at the latest so they could speak to the doctor. Finally, a voice came on the phone, "Logan Huntzbergers office."

"Bridget? Hi, this is Honor. I need to speak to Logan; about our mother. Could you connect me please?"

"Of course, dear; right away."

Bridget was her father's secretary and his executive assistant. He always left her in charge of his office when he was away. Logan was on the other line talking to the florist ordering flowers to bring to the hospital later today to Mrs. Hayden. He wanted to speak to her about working for Hayden Publishing Company personally.

Bridget knocked on his door. "Mr. Huntzberger, your sister is on the other line."

Logan looked up and nodded. He quickly ended his call and picked up the phone.

"Honor, is mom alright?" he asked her with concern in his voice.

Logan was busier since his father left but realized that his mother's wellbeing and his sister was his responsibility, and he wasn't going to be like his father and ignore them.

"Yes, she's doing better. The hospital is releasing her, and I will need some help picking her up and bringing her back home."

"Can you have a driver pick you up, and then bring you and mom home in the town car?" he asked her as he looked at his watch and saw that it was after ten now.

"Absolutely… why didn't I think of that? I honestly had no idea how I would put her in my car with the car seats without changing cars with Josh, I mean what's the point of having money if you can't use it right, anyways when is the soonest you can be there."

Just say the word Hon, and I'll be on my way."

"Logan, I want to speak to the doctor before bringing her home so as soon as you can. I'm saying it now, "word."

 _Sometimes his sister is so literal;_ Logan thought to himself rolling his eyes.

"Why don't I meet you there in about thirty minutes. I need to speak to Bridget and rearrange my schedule," Logan told her.

"Thanks, Logan this way we both can speak with the doctor. "

"What else would you like me to do?" He asked his sister.

"I've called the private duty nurse, and she will be here by one pm. I can stay with mom until then since I'm not sure how long it would take us to get her out of the hospital. Josh has got the kids covered."

Honor took another sip of her coffee and wished she hadn't given up smoking. After seeing her mother go through stress smoking whenever Logan did something, or her father would not show up, she understood her mom a little better. It was soon after her youngest was born that she decided not to judge her parents based on what she didn't know, but that didn't mean they were off the hook for abandonment and trying to run their lives. Honor never wanted to be a trophy wife, and that was ok with her, but her mother had other plans. Thank God she found Josh who understood why she didn't want a nanny at first, even though they had a mini army that took over the house. In some ways, she was grateful for Josh and his subtle "save the day" Superman complex, you know… minus the backbone. Honor knew she had to do everything because like they say if you want something done right…

"Umm…, I think I have everything organized. I called Dad, of course, he didn't answer, so I left him a message. He better come home. I am so tired of his behavior. That man needs a leash, and I refuse to move in with mother, plan this Thanksgiving dinner, join all her committees, and still have time for my family. I will not bring my children up the same way she brought us up!"

Honor was frustrated and knew she shouldn't be venting like this to her brother. He may not have been her father, but he wasn't the same person he was since college. After Rory, he became an empty shell and the second Mitchum could get his claws into her brother, he started to reshape him and go full steam ahead with his own agenda. Unfortunately, she could see the toll it was taking on him, but if Logan wanted to control his life, then he needed to grow a pair.

"Don't worry, Honor. I'll give Dad a call after we pick up mom. Can you have the family Thanksgiving Dinner catered?"

"I'm not sure; Gramps insisted on it this huge family dinner this year. He told me that he wants to see everyone one last time. He acts like he is dying, but he is healthier than anyone I know. I think he's just mad because Dad and mom convinced him to go and live at the Trinity Care Facility after he fell and broke his hip."

"I will make some calls, you and I both know that as long as foods on the table and we are there ultimately he won't care, maybe there is an Inn or someplace that can cater a meal. I will also stop by and visit Gramps today after we bring mom home. I haven't seen him in a while. I want to talk to him anyway."

"I'm so glad your home, Logan. I've missed you so much."

"Hey, I'm home to stay now. I will see you at the hospital shortly."

Honor ended her call and finished her coffee. She rinsed out her mug and put it in the dishwasher before checking the schedule that she had pinned on her refrigerator that showed where everyone was today. Her twin boys were in kindergarten, and her daughter was in second grade. Honor sent Josh a message to pick the kids up after school today; this way, she could spend more time with her mother. Logan had been staying at the family house since he returned. With Logan there, she wouldn't worry too much about her mother. Her mother and father's home had a staff of three, a cook, a driver, and a maid, but now their mother needed the private duty nurse. She grabbed the list she had started and left to find the driver so he could take her to the hospital. Of all the time of year for this to happen, traffic was going to be a nightmare. She would love to know what Odette and her mother were arguing about when she fell.

Logan arrived at the hospital at ten-thirty and took the elevator directly to the Orthopedic wing where his mother's room was. He walked into the hospital where he saw Dr. O'Malley and his nurse practitioner, Jessica Meyers, in the room talking to Shira and Honor.

"Hello, I'm Logan Huntzberger," he introduced himself to Jessica and Dr. O'Malley.

"Hello, Mr. Huntzberger, I'm Jessica Meyers, the nurse Practitioner." She smiled warmly at him and shook his hand. Logan shook her hand and smiled back at her.

"Logan, it's nice to see you again," Dr. O'Malley said. "We were discussing with your mother and your sister the home care she will need. She needs to be on the first floor for a while and your sister said that a room was already available for her there."

Walking over to his mother, Logan bent down and kissed her cheek. "Yes, the maid has turned the solarium into a bedroom for you mom. "

Shira looked good and was sitting up in the chair with her foot elevated. She tilted her cheek toward her son and put a hand on his cheek. He was such a handsome man, but he didn't look happy. Maybe things would be better for the family if she would go to her favorite spa and get away from this mess, away from Mitchum and let him carry on without her.

"Mom, you look better today," Logan said to her.

"Thank you Logan, but I think I might recover better if you send me to the Spa so I can recover there."

She then looked at her daughter and asked, "Have you heard from your father?"

Honor looked at her brother and shook her head. If her mother went to the spa, she would become addicted to the pain killers again, and she didn't want that. They were aware that Mitchum was MIA, but Logan knew how to get in touch with him.

"Mom, you are not going to the Spa. Honor has everything organized and under control. Right now, let's worry about you; I will call Dad," he whispered as he kissed her cheek. Standing up he looked at the doctor and Jessica the nurse practitioner.

"Dr. O'Malley, you were explaining to my mother and sister about my mother's home care?"

"Yes, the Physiotherapist will be coming to your home tomorrow to teach your mother some exercises and how to use her crutches. I will see her in six weeks, and at that time, we will begin Physical Therapy. The nurse will go over this when she leaves. My office has already scheduled the appointment ."

"Do I need to be in a wheelchair?" she asked the Doctor.

"At first, especially today. When you begin to use the crutches, make sure you are not alone. We don't want you to fall again."

"We hired a private nurse to come to the house to help her," Honor told them.

"Perfect, your mother will need a lot of help at the beginning. Shira, you can't get the cast wet or the fixator that is attached. You will always need to use crutches and not put any weight on that ankle. We will change the plaster in six weeks. Jessica, why don't you give your number to them and then if they have any questions, they can call you?"

Jessica pulled out her card and handed it to Logan, smiling at him. Logan smiled back at her. She was an attractive brunette, and he let his gaze go over her from head to toe.

"Jessica will you review with Honor and Logan the medication that we prescribed for her. I also would like you to contact the private duty nurse and go over the schedule for her too."

"Of course, Doctor O'Malley. Honor, Logan would you like to step outside, and I will have a nurse's aide come in and help your mother get dressed."

"Mrs. Huntzberger if you have any questions at all, please call me. You have my number,"

Dr. O'Malley turned to Logan and Honor, shaking their hands before he left to go to his next patient.

"Mom, we will step outside to talk with Ms. Meyers. I guess the nurse's aide will be in to help you dress."

Logan kissed his mother's cheek and walked out just as a nurse's aide and Sara, the floor nurse came in.

Logan and Honor walked outside the room and stood in the hallway, talking to Jessica about the medication and her schedule.

"I'm not an invalid; my hands are perfectly fine if you notice the cast is on my foot."

Logan and Honor heard their mother yell at the nurse. This was a new one, his mother was usually so calm. Excusing himself, Logan poked his head in the room.

"Mom, is everything ok in here?"

"No, the nurses refuse to let me put on my shirt by myself like I am a paralyzed drooling idiot who couldn't function a button. Didn't you go to medical school? You should know the difference between a foot and a hand. My fingers are fine," turning her head she snapped, "Quit hovering! You're going to give me a headache. Logan dear maybe home isn't the best place, can we call and book my suite at the spa and have them melt all my worries away. I'm sure that they have a full medical staff there on the premises." She started to whine.

"Mr. Huntzberger, your mother, is on heavy medication. I was instructed to help her dress and although yes she has the function of her arms, hands, and fingers as she so eloquently stated, it's still my job to help her to get all of her clothes on not just her pants." The nurse's aide tried to explain looking at him with concern. Sara had left after she removed the IV's and left the poor nurse's aide deal with Mrs. Huntzbergers drug induced rage.

Logan nodded at the young aide and put his hand on his mother's shoulder, "Mom… we are not going to your spa, you are going home, where we have a staff that will take care of you. Honor and I will be around daily to make sure you have everything you need. Please let this nice lady help you, and if you yell at the staff again, then your life at home might not be so pleasant."

Logan looked her right in the eyes and glared, and suddenly Shira knew that her son was not going to change his mind.

"Everything ok?" Honor asked, walking in the room standing behind her brother.

Logan took his sister's arm and led her out of the room.

"Yeah Hon, mom is having a meltdown. Be ready for it! She has always been high maintenance and all she had to do is whine to get her own way. However, we cannot give in to her. Right now, she needs a firm hand, like the twins, give mom that look and don't let her get away with any of her shenanigans."

Honor smiled at her brother and hugged him. Logan looked up and noticed April, the nurse he met in the ER the day he brought his mother into the hospital. She looked up and saw him and smiled. When he was finished speaking to Jessica and Honor, she walked over to him.

"Mr. Huntzberger, it's good to see you again. Can I help you with anything today?" April asked Logan.

"No, I'm just waiting for my mother to change so we can take her home."

Logan stood beside the nurse's station talking to April.

"That's great news, well if there is anything, I can do for you please let me know."

April gave him one of her smiles and was about to turn away when Logan asked, "Yes, there is, do you happen to know if Mrs. Hayden is still in the hospital. My mother is a good friend of hers, and I thought we would stop by and say hello to her before we left. It would lift my mother's spirits."

'Oh, I can check that out for you," April told him. She quickly walked back to the nurse's station and typed some keys.

"Hmm, it looks like Mrs. Hayden was released already today," April told him.

"Did she go home?"

April looked at him in surprise.

"I thought that I would bring her a bouquet of her favorite flowers," Logan quickly tried to explain, "She and my mother have been in many committee's together and I know my mother would want to visit her, since they are both recuperating."

"I'm not sure; since she is under Dr. Ross's care, the arrangements would have been made by him. He isn't on duty right now, or I would have asked him. Sorry I can't help you with this."

"Thank you; you have been most helpful." Logan began to turn away.

"Will I see you at the Winter Carnival ball in a few weeks?" April leaned against the nurse's station and flirted with him.

Turning back Logan replied, "Yes, I am sure I will be there. My sister and I will be standing in for my mother, who was the chair on the committee."

"Well, I hope you sign up for the Bachelor auction. It is for a good cause."

"Bachelor auction?" he asked her.

"Oh, I assumed you were a bachelor."

"Oh, I guess I am," he blushed.

"The local bachelors and bachelorettes will be auctioned off for a dinner date. The money this year is going towards the NICU unit."

"Well that sounds very interesting, I will have to investigate it further, maybe I can give a big donation if I am not available for the auction."

"Well, I hope you are because I wouldn't mind placing a bid for a dinner date with you."

April touched his sleeve, smiling, then turned and walked toward the elevator. He watched her go and thought this might be a good distraction from Odette now that she was back in France.

The door to his mother's room opened, and he turned as a nurse began to wheel his mother out of the room with Honor, carrying a bag of her items, following behind.

"Honor, I will meet you at the car," he told her and went to the elevator.

Christopher met the hospital transport at Trinity Hill Rehabilitation Facility at ten am. They had one of the best Cardiac Rehab facilities in the area, and Dr. Ross likes to send his patients there. He was also the doctor on staff so he would come and check on his patients twice a week. When Doctor Ross spoke to the nurse manager Louise Baker, he explained his goal for Francine Hayden. He wanted her to become as independent as possible. Up until this heart attack, she was very healthy. Christopher hoped that his mother would recover quickly and would only have to spend a few weeks here, even though Dr. Ross told him to expect her to be there at least four weeks maybe longer due to the damage of her heart.

That morning, Christopher and Rory packed some clothes along with her favorite books and her knitting. At the meeting earlier in the week, the Occupational therapist, Audrey, suggested that this might help her regain the strength in her hands.

He looked at his mother when she got out of the transport and smiled. She looked good but tired. He was worried and hoped that she would be able to return home soon. He followed them down to her room where a pregnant Madeline Callahan met them. Madeline was Samantha's Callahan's stepmother and had met her husband Scott through this job. She was the hospital liaison and organized the patient care along with Louise Baker, the nurse manager.

"Good morning, Mr. Hayden. It's good to see you again."

"It's nice to see you too. How is Sam? I know that Gigi is worried about her."

"Sam is doing well, and Gigi called and said that she is coming over later today with her homework," Madeline said, smiling to him.

"While your mother gets settled, why don't I give you a tour of the facility and we can go into my office and go over the paperwork."

Christopher followed her back to the central part of the building where the administrators had their office. She took him to the wing where the ACSM was located.

"Your mother will meet with one of our exercise specialists here, and he will evaluate her and design a program for her. I think she was assigned to Mr. Wilcox. He is over there, working with one of our residents."

Christopher looked into the room and noticed many people working with different patients. He saw a young man around Rory's age that looked familiar, working with an elderly gentleman. He recognized the voice immediately.

"Why do you have me using these blasted stairs. I told you I could walk fine, and I don't need to go up and down the stairs."

"Mr. Huntzberger, you are doing well with the walker, but we need to build your strength up so you can climb stairs again and use a cane." Smiling at him and holding his elbow, Marty said, "I've got you. You can do this."

He put his arm under his elbow and helping him; they began to climb up the two steps that were set up against the wall.

Christopher grinned; it was Elias Huntzberger yelling at the poor man. He hasn't changed at all Christopher thought. Madeline touched Chris's arm, and they left the doorway where they walked to the dining room, and he introduced him to the Dietician Manager, Christy Holland. Christopher said hello, and Madeline led him to the Common Room, where some of the patients were playing cards, and others were listening to a piano player. Leaving the Common Room, they returned to her office and Madeline sat down at her desk and Christopher sat across from her.

"Do you have any questions?" she asked him.

"No, I just want to review the procedure so I can tell my daughter what she will need to do when she comes in."

"Oh, will Gigi be coming alone to visit her grandmother?"

"Probably not, but my eldest daughter will be."

"All right. You need to fill out this form. Please list anyone you think will be coming to visit your mother. Then tell them that they will need to bring in their ID and we will make a copy of it. We are very strict with the guest when they come to visit."

Christopher wrote down his daughter's name, Lorelai Leigh Gilmore Hayden, then added Eunice's name and a few of her friends who contacted him and told him he wanted to visit his mother. He also added Lorelai Danes and even Emily Gilmore's names to the paper just on the chance they might want to visit his mother. Madeline took the paper and glanced checking to make sure all the information beside the names were correct.

"Okay, Mr. Hayden, our work here is complete. We can go return to your mother's room and see how she is settling in."

They returned to Francine's room where Madeleine left him, returning to her office to finalize the paperwork. Giving it to the secretary, Shane, she then went and met with both Louise, Marie Phillips director of nursing, Marty Wilcox, rehab specialist and Cissy Humphreys who was the administrator here at Trinity Hill.

It was two pm when Christopher returned to the office at HP and went over to his assistance desk.

"Hello, Mr. Hayden, how is your mother doing today?" Mark asked him."

"My mother is doing very well today. I just went with her to Trinity Hill Center where she will be staying while she goes through the cardiac rehabilitation program," Christopher told her.

"That's a wonderful place. My father was there after his stroke. They have the best therapist in the city, I know you will be happy with her care there," Mark replied.

"Thank you. I remember when that happened, and your father is doing well now?"

"Yes, very well," Mark replied. Mark gathered the paperclipped forms and handed them to Christopher. "Here are your messages, and I placed the mail on your desk. asked me to let him know when you return. Should I call him now for you?"

"Yes, tell him I will be here until five today?"

The phone rang and Mark answered it as Christopher walked away. A few minutes later, Mark knocked at Christopher's door.

"Mr. Hayden, a Mr. Huntzberger just called. He asked where he could send flowers to your mother. I suggested your house, since the nursing home has a strict policy about outside flowers arriving at their facility. They like to provide their own flowers and take care of them for the residents. I hope that's okay?"

"Umm sure, thanks."

After helping her father pack her grandmother's clothes for Trinity Hill, Rory took her coffee and went into the office to go over the paperwork. The more she read it, the more she realized that she needed to sit down with both her mother and father and talk to them about this. She didn't want her mother angry with her because she would be working for her father, yet her father could use her help, and she didn't want to disappoint him. She was still confused about the sudden appearance of the trust. She took a shower then dressed comfortably for the car shopping trip with Tristan, wearing her skinny jeans with a creamy cowl neck sweater. She left her hair down and decided to bring a hat and gloves with her just in case it got cold while they were shopping for a new car. Her phone rang and smiling she answered it.

"Hello," Rory said.

"Hey Mare, I'm going to be late. I've been on the phone with the hospital, and now I have to stop over there to check on a patient. It shouldn't take me long. I'm on my way there now, and I should be at your house at about twelve-thirty or a little later."

"Okay, no rush. We can have lunch after we find a car."

"Okay, Babe do you know which dealer you want to go to yet?"

"Ummm no, I haven't thought about it."

"Well, why don't you go online and check out the Toyota Dealer, and right near them is a Lexus, BMW, and a Subaru Dealership."

"Okay, I will do that now. See you soon."

Rory went back to her room where she pulled up the dealerships he suggested on her laptop and began to look at the cars. She saw a few she was interested in at the Lexus Dealer and also at the Toyota. Rory was looking at a website comparing cars when she heard the doorbell ring. She looked down at her phone and noticed it was a little after twelve. Thinking that Tristan finished early, she walked out of her room.

"Eunice, I've got the door, it's probably Tristan," Rory called as she walked to the front door. Opening the front door, she see Logan Huntzberger standing there with a massive bouquet.

Rory froze with her hand on the door, it was like deja vu all over again. What was he doing here? Finn promised he wouldn't tell Logan that he knew where she was. I'll kill him, Rory thought to herself imagining all the different ways she will get even with Finn.

Logan looked at her in surprise, "Ace?"

"Logan, what are you doing here?" she asked, surprised.

"I should be asking you that question. Can I come in?"

"Ummm, I guess. Why are you here?"

Leaving the door open, Rory stepped aside and let him come in the front foyer crossing her arms in front of her. Rory stood there, biting her lip feeling very uncomfortable. Logan reached out to touch her hand, and she took a step back.

"Rory, I'm glad I've found you. I've been worried about you. Are you all right?"

He was surprised that she was acting like this. A few months ago, when he was last with her, they made love. Then he never heard from her again, even though he tried to find her.

"Logan, how did you know I was here? I thought you understood when I said goodbye, it was over. You chose the dynastic plan, and that's okay. I understand that I'm not part of your family's world nor do I want to be. "

Logan put the vase of flowers on the side table in the front foyer and took her hand in his.

"Ace these are for your grandmother. I didn't know you were here. I was at the hospital picking up my mother, and I heard that your grandmother was released. I decided that I would bring her some flowers and visit her."

Rory noticed that he was wearing the grey tweed turtleneck sweater that she bought him last year for Christmas and a brown leather jacket. He hadn't shaved, and he looked handsome with a beard. He looked more mature, and she thought of Tristan and Finn. Maybe Finn didn't tell him where she was, but she shouldn't be alone with him. Composing herself she pulled her hand out of his and crossed her arms in front of her again.

"Logan, I didn't realize that you knew my grandmother Hayden, but thank you for picking up flowers for her. I will make sure she gets them."

Rory walked over to the doorway placing her hand on the door handle waiting for him to leave.

"Ace," Logan walked towards her and reached out to touch her face. Rory felt her heart begin to race, she tried to stay calm.

"I need to talk to you." He looked at her with concern on his face. "I've been worried about you. I heard that you were in the hospital."

How did he hear about that? Who told him, she wondered? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath then looking at him she said, "Logan, you don't need to worry about me. I'm fine. I'm happy, and I have a job writing for a magazine. Thank you for stopping by with flowers for my grandmother, but you need to go. "

Logan reached and pulled her closer to him. She kept her hands in a fist and tried pushing him away. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked in her beautiful blue eyes, wondering why he chose to give her up. He moved his head closer to her and let his face hover close to hers.

Rory tried to pull away, "Logan, please let go of me. Logan…" Rory insisted turning her head away.

As Tristan was pulling into the driveway, he noticed the door was wide open. He quickly parked his car; then running up the sidewalk he saw Rory struggling, pushing Logan away.

"Logan, please leave."

"The lady asked you to leave," Tristan said as he quickly cam up the sidewalk, glaring at Logan. Logan let go of Rory when he heard Tristan's voice.

He looked at the tall man in sunglasses wearing a leather jacket and dark jeans, climbing up the porch stairs towards him and Rory.

"Who are you?" Logan asked as he looked at Tristan, who moved quickly onto the porch. Rory looked anxiously at Tristan as she watched his body language. Tristan stood to his full height and pressed his lips tightly together. She could see the tension in his body as he squeezed his hands into a fist by his sides.

Trying to avoid a confrontation, she moved between them and said, "Logan, nothing has changed. You need to leave and go back to your fiancée ."

"Ace, there is no fiancée, I'm leaving HPG. Please we need to talk, we were good together," he begged.

"Logan don't make this harder. I have moved on."

Staring at the man who was standing close beside his Ace, Logan was wondering who he was. He looked and sounded familiar.

Holding his hand out towards Tristan, he said, "Logan Huntzberger, have we met?"

Tristan glared at Logan through his sunglasses and didn't take his hand. He worked hard these last eight years to keep his temper under control using the training he received in kickboxing and Taekwondo while he was in college. However, seeing Logan standing there bothering Rory was making him angry. He lost Rory once before when he had a fight with one of her boyfriends and even though this was her ex, he wasn't going to chance losing her again.

"She asked you to leave," Tristan whispered angrily at Logan.

"Okay, okay, I'm leaving." Logan put his hands up and backed away. Turning toward Rory he said, "Ace I'm living in Hartford now. I will be back so we can talk. "

Rory looked at Logan, confused.

"What do you mean I thought you ran the company in London?

"My plans have changed; I'm living here, and I plan on leaving HPG."

Logan pushed past Tristan purposely bumping his shoulder as he walked by. Tristan glared down at him squeezing his fists and gritting his teeth.

Rory reached for Tristan's arm and said, "Leave him. I'm fine now that you are here."

Tristan pulling Rory protectively around her waist and held her back against his chest, watched Logan get into his car. Logan sat in his car for a few moments watching them watch him. He wondered who this man was that was holding her. He started his Porsche and immediately hit the Bluetooth connection and called Colin's number. Colin's phone went right to his voice mail.

 _ **Logan**_

" _ **Colin, this is Logan. I found her. She's been living at her grandmother Hayden's home. Call me when you get the message."**_

As he drove back to his father's home, he wondered how long she had been staying at her grandmother's house. Her father told him today that he hadn't seen her. Was she purposely hiding from him? Why was she here? He then tried to call both Finn and Robert, but again he got their voicemail, so he left them the same message

Rory shivered as she watched Logan pull away from the curb and drive off. Tristan pulled her close kissing the top of her head.

"Are you okay?" Tristan asked her.

"I am now that you are here." They both turned and walked into the house. He pulled her into his arms, and she put her head on his chest and sighed.

"Tris, every time I see him, I feel like I get pulled back into his world. I don't know what is wrong with me."

"There is nothing wrong with you, Mare. Hey, look at me." He put his finger under her chin and pulled her face up. "Have you heard from Finn at all? Do you think Finn told him where you were?"

"No, I haven't heard from Finn, and I am sure he would never tell Logan where I am. Logan was surprised when I answered the door. He brought these flowers to my grandmother."

She picked up the beautiful fall arrangement of flowers that Logan had brought and carried them into the kitchen. Following Rory, Tristan took her hand in his pulling her close to his chest. Rory looked up at him with concern in her eyes.

"Mare, you can move in with me. You said you wanted to move out of your father's home. "

Rory looked up at him in surprise. "Though it sounds like a great idea, I don't think we should move in together yet. We just agreed to start dating exclusively, Tris."

Putting her hands-on Tristan's face, Rory looked him in his blue-gray eyes. "Tris, I don't want our relationship to start as a rebound, nor do I want to hide from Logan. I don't want to jump into bed with you or run to your house for protection. When we move in together, it's because we are ready to commit. I am not going to hide a relationship again."

"So, do you see us as a rebound?" he asked, pulling her away and looking deeply into her blue eyes.

"No, but we talked about going slow, and if I move in, then it wouldn't be slow." Rory put her hands on his shoulder and said, "Please trust me, Tristan. I want this to be right, and more than anything I want this to work. You and I never had that chance before, and I always thought there was something there, but you then you left."

Pushing her hair behind her ear, he leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"Okay, but we need to find you a new home."

Pulling out his phone, he quickly dialed a number.

"Dr. Gellar," a voice answered.

"Paris, it's Tristan. We need a favor."

"We, as in you and Rory or as in you, Ethan and Connor."

Tristan chuckled. "It's for Rory and me. Listen, Logan just appeared at Rory's grandmother's house with flowers."

"What was he doing there?" Paris yelled, "That no-good poor excuse for a man….. Was Rory home?"

"Yea, Rory was home waiting for me to pick her up and she answered the door expecting it was me. Logan was there and told her that he was not returning to London and was back in Hartford."

"She has to move. Logan will hound her and follow her around as he did before. Don't be surprised if Rory's home looks like a fricken florist. That's what he did the last time. That wannabe Don Juan sent her everything from flowers and coffee, brought her donuts until she broke down. I know all his tricks. Let me talk to her."

Grinning Tristan handed Rory the phone. "Rory, what did he say? Do you think Colin told him where you were, or one of the worker bees from your father's company let it slip? What did he want? I hope you stayed strong. Look you are smarter than him. You can do this. Now more so then ever you need to prove to everyone that Rory Gilmore is a force to be reckoned with. I've got your back."

"Paris, he was surprised when he saw me. I don't think he knew I was there. He brought flowers for my grandmother. He wanted to talk to me."

"Talk? Don't talk to him; he is as smooth as a snake oil salesman. That is how you got into this situation. What does he want?"

"That's what is puzzling me, since his parents already sent my grandmother a bouquet when she first went into the hospital. Why would he bring it here? I mean Dad took grandma to the Trinity Hill Rehab Facility."

"Trinity Hill? Good, Madeline works there she can make sure he doesn't bother your grandmother. I will give her a call."

"Madeline? Madeline Dwyer from Chilton?"

"Yea, she is Madeline Callahan now, she married Scott Callahan the Senior VP here at Hartford General."

"Oh, I haven't seen her since we went to Florida and we ran into her and Louise during spring break."

Tristan looked at Rory and raised his eyebrows and held out his hand. "Mare, we need to go," he whispered.

"Here's Tristan," she told Paris and handed him back his phone.

"Look, we have been talking, and I think she needs to find her own apartment," he told Paris, "Do you happen to know if there are any empty apartments in your building?"

Paris sighed, "Look; she can move in with me, I'm not sure if there are any openings here, but I'm never home, and the place is clean enough to be a sterile room in itself. I hired the hospitals cleaning crew after that incident we had where we had to watch that movie about bacterial and airborne infections. Still can't sleep unless the sheets are crisp, and I have an available face mask. Just tell her to leave her books there until I can get a forklift. Otherwise, she can make herself at home."

Rory heard this and shook her head, mouthing, "I'm not living with her again."

Tristan chuckled and looked at Rory.

"Paris that's okay if you hear of anything call me?"

"I will make some calls and see if there is an opening here or one of the neighboring apartment complexes. Tris tell her that Jess and I are here for her and she is welcome to stay here with me until she finds something."

"Thanks, Paris I will pass that on. We are going to look for a car now so you can call either one of us."

Tristan and Paris said goodbye. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side.

"Listen while we are out looking for cars, we can stop at my apartment building. I think there might be an opening there."

"Tris, I can't afford to live there, and remember we are moving slow."

"Mare, it's an option, and not all the apartments in my building are like mine, so it is affordable."


	32. Chapter 31 Changes Are Coming

**Chapter 31**

After leaving the Hayden home, Logan returned to his office at HPG. He had been searching for Rory for weeks never thinking she would be at the Hayden residents. It didn't make sense to him. What was she doing there? Pouring himself a scotch, Logan tried reaching Colin again, this time calling his office.

"Hayden McCrae Law Offices, how may I direct your call," a female voice answered.

"Please tell Colin McCrae that Logan Huntzberger from HPG is calling."

"Yes, Mr. Huntzberger, I will see if he is available."

The voice put Logan on hold while he waited, Logan sat down and opened up his computer. Pulling up the information on Eric Brady, he began to wonder if Rory was dating him. She moved out of London in the spring after she found out about Odette and yet they slept together in September. Was this the reason she finally was able to tell him goodbye?

He scrolled through Eric's bio and immediately remembered where he met him. Logan took Rory to listen to Eric Brady present his new book, **Using Technology and How it is Changing the Face of Journalist,** when they were in Hamburg. 

_Entering the small room, labeled, Technology and Journalism Today, Logan, led Rory to some chairs near the back of the room. They both had two more speakers to listen too, before dinner that evening, and he wanted to leave quietly if this speaker took too long._

 _A young woman came out introducing, Eric Brady. Eric began by discussing his work in California and how it led him to write this book. Rory sat there at the edge of her seat, taking notes while listening to Eric as he highlighted the critical points. He took his time explaining how technology has changed the world of journalism and how, as a journalist, they can take advantage of it. Ten minutes before the end of the presentation, the alarm on Logan's phone beeped, reminding him of the next conference that they both had to go too. Leaning over, he pointed at his watch, and she nodded. They quietly slipped out of the room. As they left the room, Rory noticed the table set up with Eric Brady's book on it._

 _"Logan, wait. I want to purchase his book," she told him, putting a hand on his arm. Rory picked up the book and went to the young woman who was collecting the money for the books._

 _" Ace, another book for your collection?" smiling he asked her as he took the book from her and handed it to the woman along with the money_.

 _" Logan, you don't need to buy me the book. I can do that myself," she told him._

 _Logan took the book from the woman and put his arm around her shoulders._

 _" I know, but let me do this for you," he whispered, bringing his lips to the shell of her ear. Rory turned her head and looked at his lips, then into his eyes and leaning into him, they kissed._

 _" Come on," he told her, leading her to the lift. Pulling her inside, he pushed the button for the twentieth floor where his room was..._

Logan heard Colin's voice on the phone, and he stopped staring at the screen.

"Logan… sorry, I didn't get back to you. I was in a meeting." Colin said when he got on the phone.

"Colin, I spoke to Rory today." Logan hovered the mouse over a file of photos that he kept on his computer and opened it. Logan stared at the image on the computer screen. He took this photo of her sleeping in his bed in Hamburg. Logan reached out to his screen, tracing her picture with his index finger.

"You're kidding?" Colin was surprised to hear this. He was hoping that Logan was going to give up and forget about her. Rory ended the relationship with him in September, and by doing this, she stopped all contact with Finn, Robert, and himself when she said goodbye.

"Where were you when you spoke to her?" he asked him.

"I decided to go and pitch Francine Hayden my offer about coming to work at Hayden Publishing since she is president of the company. When I went to the hospital earlier, I found out that Mrs. Hayden was no longer a patient there. I stopped at the florist where I bought a bouquet, then drove over to the Hayden residence here in Hartford. I rang the doorbell, and when the door opened, Rory was standing there," Logan explained, pacing and waiting for Colin to speak. Colin silently listened, looking at the folders on his desk,

"What did she say?" Colin finally asked.

"Nothing really," Logan said quietly, "She thanked me for the flowers then asked me to leave."

"Do you know why she would be at Mrs. Hayden's home?" Colin asked him.

Logan moved away from the window and went to the bar pouring himself another glass of scotch and taking a sip before he replied. "Francine Hayden is her grandmother. Christopher Hayden is Rory's father."

"Wait, I thought her last name was Gilmore. We went to parties at the Gilmores, and they were always around. She lived with the Gilmores when she dropped out of Yale for the semester."

"Yeah, I know, her mother and father didn't marry until her junior year at Yale. Rory grew up without her father around, and she never spoke about the Hayden's at all. As far as she was concerned, her last name is Gilmore."

"So Rory Gilmore is her legal name?" Colin asked him.

"No, her legal name is Lorelai, named after her mother, but she always went by Rory. Why are you asking?"

Colin glanced down at the folders that he had been reviewing when Logan called. He never connected Rory with the name Lorelai Leigh Hayden. Opening the first folder, he read the birthdate. Oct. 8, 1984. Lorelai Leigh Hayden was inheriting the Hayden Publishing company plus a trust fund that was worth millions. Colin never believed Finn and Robert when they told him that Logan didn't love Rory but was using her. However, now, it made sense why Logan was trying to win her back. She was worth more than that French heiress. If Logan married Rory, HPG would acquire Hayden Publishing and be one of the most successful publishing companies here in the Northeast. Colin became angry he wouldn't let Logan use her for his families gain.

"Logan do I need to remind you that you have a prenup with Odette, and your marriage is scheduled."

"You don't understand Colin, that prenup is no longer valid, Odette pushed my mother down the stairs sending her to the hospital with a broken ankle. My dad personally brought her back to Europe and the engagement is off. It will be announced in the papers today."

"Logan, I'm sorry to hear about your mother," Colin responded, feeling bad for her. He didn't care much for Shira, but he also didn't want to hear that she was injured.

"Logan, is there anything I can do?"

"Colin, I need to talk to Rory, tell her that Odette and this Dynastic Plan was a mistake. When I tried to talk to her, a man came up the driveway and putting his arms around her, told me to leave."

"Logan…" Colin tried to speak but Logan interrupted.

"Colin, I'm finished with HPG and my father's bullying. I need to move on. I need her in my life again.

Colin was silent, his best friend, his brother, was hurting. The four men had made a pack when they were at Yale; they were each other's family and would always be there for each other. Colin knew that the best thing for him to do was to call Finn and Robert.

"Okay Logan, let me call Finn and Robert, we can meet at my place, drink, talk and play cards."

"Yea, that sounds good. Maybe we can come up with a plan," he said hopefully into the phone. He needed his brothers; they always knew how to help him. They helped him this summer, and maybe now they can help him again. Logan and Colin ended their call. Standing at the window, Logan looked out at the direction of West Hartford where the Hayden Home was located. He needed to leave HPG behind, maybe by doing that, Rory will realize that by him giving up HPG he was choosing her.

Logan walked back to his desk and sat down. He needed to speak to his Uncle Alec. Alec was his father's only brother. Alec had offered Logan a job a few years back, at his company, Silicon Valley Publishing, ( SVP) in California. Logan didn't take the job because Mitchum offered him the deputy publisher's job, and more stocks in HPG. Mitchum also promised him a seat on the board, telling him that Logan was the critical part of the Dynastic Plan. If Logan married the woman he chose, the position was his, and when Mitchum retired in a few years, Logan would be the Publisher and President of HPG. He realized now that by accepting this plan, he lost the only woman he ever loved who also loved him. It was time that Logan took back control of his life, leaving HPG for good and win Rory back.

Logan picked up his cell phone.

"SVP, how can I direct your call?" the voice of a young woman answered the phone.

"This is Logan Huntzberger, I would like to speak to Alec Huntzberger, please."

"Of course, Mr. Huntzberger."

Logan did not have to wait long before he heard his uncle's voice.

"Logan, I have been expecting your call. I heard your mother took a tumble down the stairs. What's going on?"

"Yes, she did and broke her ankle. I am staying in Hartford now,"

"Are you returning to London?"

"No, I'm not going back. I ended my engagement, and I need to leave HPG before I turn into my father."

"Logan you are too valuable to him now. He's not going to let you leave."

"Uncle Alec, I have too. I have a lead on a job. Are you familiar with Hayden Publishing?"

"Hayden Publishing… that's sounds familiar."

Logan could hear his uncle tapping the keys on his computer.

"Hmm… Hayden Publishing once called Hayden and Sons. Well, I'll be," Alec paused and continued to read the information on the screen, "... Christopher Hayden runs this company now. I haven't seen him in years," Alec said into the phone.

"You know Christopher Hayden?" Logan asked.

"Yea, Dad, and Mom used to be close friends with the judge and his wife. The judge was a smart businessman and one of the most powerful judges in the state of Connecticut. He and Christopher's grandfather had plans for Chris to go to Princeton, follow him in his footsteps, and take over the companies.

"You went to school with Christopher Hayden?" Logan asked him.

"Yeah, we went to Andover together. He was brilliant and bored. He was always doing crazy things. I remember one time he paid someone to take apart the Calculus teacher's car and then reassemble it on the roof of the Administration building. It was epic. Chris always had the latest albums of the top groups in the eighties. He often had tickets for the concerts in the city so we would go and listen to the shows and then go backstage and hang out with singers. Christopher was popular with all the girls. He enjoyed flirting with them and they, in turn, would throw themselves at him hoping that he would take them out on a date. But Chris was never interested; instead, he was dating this beautiful brunette from Hartford. Everything changed in the spring of our senior year when Christopher returned to school. He no longer partied and cracked jokes and instead spent time talking to us about quitting school and working. After Andover, Christopher didn't' attend Princeton and instead he took off and traveled for a few years. That's when Chris and I lost touch."

Logan sat there quietly; he couldn't believe that his family had a connection with the Hayden's.

"You know Logan, it's funny. I haven't thought about Chris in years. He never came to the last Andover reunion. An old friend of ours told me that Chris had moved out to California working for a software company. That must have been about fourteen years ago. I heard he has a daughter. Is Christopher living back east now? "

"Yes, he is running Hayden Corporation along with Hayden Publishing. I saw him in Boston about three weeks ago. Dad sent me there to meet with him to see if we could work a deal. Dad wants to acquire or as he put it, merge Hayden Publishing with HPG. However, the company is not for sale."

"According to their website, Mrs. Hayden, Christopher's mother, is the president of the company. What was your father's reason for buying it?"

"You know my father, the more companies they own, the more successful HPG is."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Dad, your grandad, were behind that," Alec commented.

"Hard to say since Gramps is in a nursing home now and dad or mom never visit him."

"You don't think as chairman of the board of HPG my old man isn't pulling strings, Logan? Listen, your father is your grandfather's puppet, and he is making sure that HPG will be around forever. So why are you interested in Hayden Publishing?"

"When dad told me to go to the meeting, I researched them. That company is solid with many imprints along with a digital program platform. The last publisher was a friend of dad's, and he recently retired. I figured that they would be looking for a new publisher. Look, Uncle Alec, I have the experience here, and I know I can lead that company forward, making it stronger than HPG. Do you think I can use you as a reference?

Alec chuckled, "Look it, Logan, I can do you one better. I'm flying to Hartford next week, for Thanksgiving. I could catch up with Christopher and find out what's happening with his company. If you want to leave HPG, I can talk you up. If that doesn't work, I can get you a job out here, and you could reinvent my company. "

"Thanks Uncle Alec, don't mention anything to dad. I want to tell him myself."

"No problem Logan. I would love to help you out. Listen, Matt, and I are flying out on Tuesday. We plan on staying in the city, with your Aunt Meredith and Uncle Werner. Is the Thanksgiving celebration still on with your mother in the hospital? I guess Dad wants a family gathering this year."

"Yea, Honor is now in charge of the arrangement. I am getting a place this week since mom has a full-time nurse along with the staff. I want to be out of there before Dad returns home. Why don't you and Matt stay with me?" Logan asked him.

"If it's not a problem, I think we would both enjoy that. I can only stand being in my sister's company for a short time. I'll let Matt know our plans. I'm sure he will be happy to see you. "

" Thanks, Uncle Alec, I will see you soon."

Alec hung up the phone and smirked. Straub and his father had a falling out back in 1984, and he knew that there was another family involved. Alec remembers Mitchum, a young editor and a father of two, working at one of the smaller newspapers that HPG owned in Pennsylvania. Alec was at Yale hoping he would do his internship at HPG, but instead Elias brought Mitchum into the headquarters giving him a job there, grooming him to take over the company. Alec would never work for HPG, Mitchum made sure of that. Now Logan needs his help, and he would gladly help him leave HPG. He might even back him so he could create a publishing house that would rival it.

Logan felt better now after talking to his uncle. What a coincidence that his uncle and Christopher Hayden had been friends and schoolmates when they were younger. He wondered why his father or grandfather never said anything when he and Rory were dating. Unless they never made the connection that she was a Hayden.

Logan hit speed dial for his dad's line. He dreaded this call, but he needed his father to leave his mistress and come home to his wife.

Rory and Tristan were sitting in the Lexus Dealership after test driving a BMW 3, a Lexus GS, and Toyota Avalon. Rory had narrowed it down to the Lexus GS when her phone rang.

"Excuse me, I better take this," she told the salesperson,

"Tris, could you find out if the car has all the options that I want? I will be right back."

Rory walked away from the table where they were sitting and left Tristan to negotiate the sale while she took the call.

"Mom, what's up?"

"Hey, what are your plans for dinner tonight? Luke and I were wondering if you want to meet us in Hartford?"

"I'm with Tristan right now looking at cars. Do you mind if he comes?"

"No not at all. I want to get to know him better. We haven't had much time together since we came back and I wanted to discuss the holidays with you."

"Great, when and where?" she asked her mother.

"How about The First and Last Tavern on Maple Ave," her mother suggested.

"That sounds great; how about six o'clock?" Rory suggested.

"Great, we will meet you there. See you later Sweets," Lorelai told her.

"By mom." Rory returned to the table.

"Is everything alright?" Tristan asked her.

"Yes, mom wants to meet us for dinner at six at the First and Last Tavern. Is that okay?"

"Perfect, I was going to suggest pizza later anyway. Mare, they have the car you want on the lot, should we go and see it and test drive it?"

"That would be great," she said as she slipped her phone back into her bag.

The salesperson went to get the license plate and keys for the car while they sat and talked.

"Tris, I'm excited about buying this car. My other car was a gift from my grandparents, and I sold it a few years ago when I was living in the city."

"This is a good deal, Mare. Are you sure this is the car you want?" Tristan asked her.

"If this car drives as smooth as the black one, then I will be happy."

The salesman returned and led them outside to the Mica Blue Lexus sports GS model. She loved the two-toned black and bamboo interior with the panorama glass top. Sitting in it, she felt very comfortable in the seats and once they returned from the test drive, they discussed the price. Rory signed the lease papers and wrote a check for the down payment. The car would be ready the next day for her to pick up.

Rory took Tristan's hand as they walked toward the parking lot "Thanks, for helping me find a car today." She told him as they approached his car.

Tristan put his hand on the back of her head, holding her close so that he could kiss her plump pink lips. When they broke apart, he rubbed his nose against hers.

"My pleasure, Mare." He opened the door for her, and she slid into her seat. "Have you thought any more about the job at Hayden and Son? "

"Yea, I have," she responded as she buckled up her seat belt.

"I am considering it. I really need to take one of the jobs and I can't avoid Logan forever if he is now living here in Hartford."

They sat with the car idling, and he put his hand on the back of her neck looking into her eyes, "So what do you want to do?"

"I have things that I need to do. I need to find a place to live so that I am taking care of myself, and then I need to talk to my parents about this job and the Trust Fund that I have just inherited."

Tristan kissed her softly on the lips. "I have an idea. We still have a few hours before we need to meet your mother, why don't we go to Linden Place and stop by the real estate brokerage firm there. They might know of some available apartments."

Rory smirked at him. "Is this your way of getting me to move in with you, Tristan?"

"Mare, I promise you I am not trying to persuade you to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. The building I live in is huge, and you have so many different units that you can choose. I like the location because when I need to travel, the airport is fifteen minutes away. I can be there in no time." Tristan catches the loose strands of hair around her face and tucks them behind her ear, " Unless you are thinking about moving back to Stars Hollow?" He bites his bottom lip, hoping that she doesn't want to return to that small town.

"No, there is nothing for me there," Rory responded and hesitantly asks, "Tris, can I ask you something?"

" Of course, Mare."

" If I take the job at the Hayden Publishing Company, would it affect our relationship?" Rory looked up at him biting her lip.

Tristan pulled her close and ran his hand down the back of her head, "Mare… I will be with you no matter where you decide to work. Either at Hayden Publishing company or with Jess at Truncheon Books we will work through any problems that may come up. It's important to me that I support you just as I hope you will support me. I want to see you doing what you love to do." Tristan told her as he leaned his forehead against hers.

"Thanks," she told him, kissing him again. Settling back into her seat, Tristan pulled out of the parking lot of the car dealers and headed toward the interstate.

"I'm not going anywhere."

She smiled over at him and grabbed his hand that was resting on the console between them.

"Mare, there is a good real estate agency that I on the main floor of Linden Place. The owner is a friend of my fathers. Let's stop there and talk to them. This will give you an idea what is available."

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt," she responded, placing her hand on top of his.

Tristan squeezed her fingers and said, "Mare, everything will work out. You'll see."

"I hope so," she answered.

Tristan pulled in a parking spot in front of 1 Linden Place. Rory had never been to the front entrance of the building and noticed that there was different business on the main floor.

Rory waited as Tristan walked around the car to open her door. Taking her hand, he helped her out of the car and led her to the storefront labeled AR Brady. They walked in and immediately they were greeted by an attractive secretary.

"Hello Dr. Dugray, can I help you?" she asked smiling at him.

"Hello, Natalie. Natalie, this is my girlfriend Rory Gilmore, is Al around today? I have a question for him."

"Yes he is, let me buzz him."

Rory and Tristan sat down on the brown leather chairs that were in the waiting area. Soon a man in his late sixties came out from the back.

"Dr. Dugray, it's great to see you. How can I help you?"

"Al, this is my girlfriend, Rory Gilmore. Mare, this is Al Brady," Tristan said, introducing them to each other.

Rory shook Al's hand, and he looked at her, "Gilmore, are you related to Emily and Richard Gilmore?"

"Yes, I am their granddaughter."

"I am so glad to finally meet you. When your grandfather was alive, he would often talk about you. You were his pride and joy," he told her.

Rory blushed. Tristan looked at her and placed his arm around her shoulders.

"Al, Rory is looking for an apartment, and we have some time today, so I thought we would check with you to see what you have available."

"Come on into my office, and I can go over the list. I know we have some properties here, both to lease and buy. The Towers, Spectrum, and 777 Main St. have some brand-new units."

Al led them to a large office in the back with comfortable leather chairs. They sat down in front of his desk while he pulled up the information on his computer.

"Miss Gilmore, can you tell me what you are looking for?" he asked as he typed in some information on the keyboard.

"How many bedrooms are you interested in and do you have a preference where you want to live in the city?"

"I would like either a two-bedroom or one bedroom with and office. I am a writer, so I need a place to work. As for location, I guess I have no preference."

"Do you own a car?" he asked her.

"Yes," she responded.

"Are you familiar with this area of the city?" Al asked. "Because right now the city has had a large growth and many people around your age are interested in moving back here. These new apartment buildings are in walking distance from shopping, bars, restaurants and of course the cultural center of the city."

"Yes, I am familiar with Hartford, but it's been a while since I have been back. It has changed so much."

"Well, I have some units available at the Towers which includes garage parking. Those units all offer fully remodeled large open living areas, with plenty of natural light, fully appliance kitchens, granite countertops and they also include washer and dryer hookups. The master bedroom has an on-suite and also a walk-in closet. The one-bedroom has a half bathroom off the kitchen, and the two-bedroom unit has another full bathroom."

Al continued typing on his keyboard, "We also have a penthouse available, that is not for lease, but it is for sale for $900,000."

"That's a little too high for me. I prefer to lease an apartment, Rory added. Al printed out the information and handed it to her.

"We also have properties on River Drive at the River Point Condominiums, and they have balconies with beautiful views of the River. We also have two, two-bedroom units available at The Lofts at Main and Temple. Then, of course, I have some beautiful Townhouses available on Charter Oak Place. " Again, Al handed Rory the information on those apartments.

"Are you living alone, Miss Gilmore?" Al asked her.

"Umm yes, why?"

"Well, then I would encourage you to visit 777 Main St, the Towers, Spectrum Apartments, and of course here. Main St, the Towers, and Spectrum are very secure buildings and the Morgan Associate's own these buildings. They are very popular with your age group since they offer, restaurants, fitness centers, social areas, patios, and meeting rooms. They have the newest renovations and are what we call "Green" apartments, meaning they do everything to keep the apartments ecofriendly. They use solar panels when they can, and recycled materials in their building. I recommend that you should at least check them out. Those complexes have two-bedroom units and some one-bedroom units with an office space. Of course, here at 1 Linden, there are many units that I think would fit your budget. I know we have apartments with the office space you are interested in."

"Wow, I didn't realize that I would have so many choices," she said to Al as she started to look through the pages of apartment information that he handed her.

"Why don't you take this information and pick out the places that you wish to see. We can set up an appointment now if you like. I am available tomorrow late morning or early afternoon," Al told her.

"Can I get back to you?" she asked.

"Sure, here is my card with my number."

Rory filled out the form with her information and phone number and handed it back to Al.

Standing up, Rory and Tristan shook Al's hand and left the office. Tristan put his arm around her waist as they walked out of the building. As they stood beside his car, he pulled her into his side, planting a kiss on the top of her head.

"You have some homework to do," he told her.

"Yea, can you go with me to some of these places?" she asked him.

"Babe, I wish I could, but I am back on duty tomorrow. Do you think, Paris, your dad, or your mom could go with you?" he asked her.

"Maybe, I could ask my mom tonight," she told him.

Tristan and Rory returned to his car and drove the five blocks to the restaurant. She picked up the folder with the apartment information and tucked it in her bag.

"What are you going to do with that?" he asked her.

"I thought I would bring it with me, and we can talk to my mom and see what she thinks about helping find an apartment," she said, looping her arm in his.

Tristan shook his head and whispered, " Did you see any that might interest you, because I know how we can avoid all this."

"Tris, your building is beautiful and quaint but living with you after being together for only a month is not the answer." She felt the tears begin to fill behind her eyes as she tried to explain.

"My mother tried to bring me up to be independent like her, but I keep falling back into the same old routine. When Logan and I got back together I depended on him, letting him take care of my needs and even finding my jobs. Now it seems that I am doing that again by letting my father take care of me. I can't keep living this way." Rory's voice became shaky. "I don't want to have that type of relationship with you."

Tristan turned her, so she was facing him and held her by the waist. "Mare, are you changing your mind about us?"

Rory was afraid that by giving in and letting herself love him she would be hurt again.

"No," she shakes her head, "What I feel for you is real, but I need to straighten out my life before I move in with you. If I move in with you, I will become dependent on you. I did that and .."

"I get it. You need space and time," Tristan told her letting his hands fall from her waist.

"Not too much space? I am just not ready to move in with you yet." Rory reached up, pulling his head down towards hers.

The corners of Tristan's eyes crinkled as he looked down at her. "I won't push you. Mare, you have been what I have wanted for so long, so I promise that we will move ahead when you are ready."

She kissed him, and suddenly the world around them fell away. It was slow and soft. Tristan rested his hand below her ear, his thumb caressing her cheek. She pulled away from him, and they looked at each other.

"Come on," he told her and took her hand, and they entered the restaurant.


	33. Chapter 32 An Unexpected Surprise

Chapter 32 An Unexpected Surprise

Logan spent the rest of the afternoon playing phone tag with his father while editing the press release announcing the end of his engagement. He was tired of waiting for his father's phone call, so taking matters into his own hands, he called the lawyer to have charges filed against Odette on his mother's behalf. He then contacted the gossip reporters, that HPG employed, giving them the press release indicating that the engagement and wedding to Odette Roitfield were off.

Logan left HPG by five-thirty feeling exhausted and confused. He now had to go home and check on his mother before visiting his grandfather at Trinity Hill. Climbing into his car, Logan headed to the family home. Logan drove through the gates of the Huntzberger property and stopped his car in front of the main entrance. Looking at the mansion, his parent's home, he turned off the car hesitating; he wasn't ready to walk into that place and face his mother. She had called him several times at the office. Finally, he quit taking her calls after the third one, when she whined about the pain she was in, begging for stronger medicine and asking him if his father was returning.

Logan opened the door heading inside towards the room he was using as his office. He avoided entering the large living room where he heard his mother's voice; she was talking to someone, he figured it was the nurse. He needed a drink before he spoke to her. Placing his messenger bag on the desk, Logan walked to the bar in the corner, pouring himself his third drink of the day. Looking at the amber liquid, he realized that the mistake that he made by agreeing to marry Odette was what brought him here. Seeing Rory today he realized that he needed to end the engagement. So, he sat down contacted the lawyers then composed the press release that ended the engagement and future relationship with Odette. Now he needed to make calls so he can leave HPG.

His cell phone vibrated in his coat pocket. Fishing it out, he recognized his father's number when he looked at the screen. "So nice of you to finally return our calls," Logan answered his phone sarcastically as he sat down in the leather office chair

" Logan, I've been busy putting out fires from this disagreement that your mother and Odette had. I think it is all settled now. Odette and I will be back in Hartford by the end of the week, " Mitchum said.

"Don't bother. There is no need for Odette to return to the US," Logan interrupted, "A press release has been sent to all the media outlets. The engagement is off, and so is the wedding."

"Wait, you can't do that. There is a prenup," his father replied immediately.

"Not any longer. I spoke to three journalists, giving them approval to the story of how mom became injured in an argument concerning your future daughter in law who happens to be the daughter of your mistress. They now have the names and a copy of the contract of the Dynastic Plan you concocted so that you would also gain control over the European Vogue. Charges has been made against Odette for the intent of causing personal injury to mother. A messenger will be arriving shortly issuing a warrant for her arrest if she attempts to enter the US or contact me or mother. So, if you and her family don't want the bad publicity or jail time, then I suggest that you tell Odette to agree to the terms of the letter that she will be receiving, because you see we have witnesses. I was there, Honor was there and so were your grandchildren who witness the whole thing."

"Logan..."

"Dad, let me explain something to you. I'm tired of being your puppet, do your bidding, being your hatchet man. I'm no longer going to do that. Your wife of 43 years, needs you, so I suggest that you get on our private plane and return home. Oh, and tell your mistress that your affair, and the engagement to her daughter, is over. Understood?"

"Logan, you have no right..." Mitchum started to scream.

"Since this incident directly involves me, I have every right, according to our lawyers. It's over dad."

"Logan... Logan... it's not over until..."

Logan ended his call before Mitchum could finish his last threat. He then put his phone on the airplane mode so he wouldn't hear his father's phone calls. Logan slipped his phone back in his coat pocket, then taking his drink he walked out of the office and went towards the conservatory where his mother was resting on the couch.

"Logan, I didn't hear you come in, " Shira said to him as she reclines on the couch with her foot elevated.

"I just got in. Can I get you anything?" Logan asked her.

"No, I just spoke to your father, and he thinks I should go to the spa in West Palm Beach," Shira started to say.

"You're not going," Logan interrupted.

"But your father thinks it would be better for you and Odette."

"Mom, a press release was printed today and sent to all the media outlets stating the engagement and wedding between myself and Odette is off."

"But Logan, your father..."

"Is returning home, end of story. Mom, I need to go and visit Gramps at the nursing home, so why don't you rest," Logan told her as he finished his drink and placed it on the bar cart.

"Do you think that's wise?" she asked him.

Logan smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "It is. I've got you and so does Honor. Everything will be okay, I promise." Shira nodded her head and watched her son leave the conservatory.

Walking out the door, Logan called his sister, letting her know that he was on his way to the Trinity Hill Facility. Logan pulled into the parking lot in front of the Trinity Hill Nursing home. It was now close to seven, and he hoped it wasn't too late to visit his grandfather. He entered the well-lit reception area walking toward a large desk. Behind the desk sat a woman with platinum blonde hair in her late thirties playing with her telephone.

Approaching the desk, Logan looked at her name tag. Smiling his most engaging smile, he asked, "Ivy, I wonder if you can help me."

At first, Ivy frowned, then looking up from her phone, she saw a very handsome and charming man.

"Oh, hello," she purred when she noticed Logan standing in front of the reception desk in his expensive grey suit. "I will be happy to help you." Ivy closed her phone and leaned forward on the counter, licking her bottom lip, smiling up at him.

"I hope I am not too late to visit one of the residents. I just returned from Europe, and I would love to see my grandfather, Elias Huntzberger."

Logan looked at her, and his lips stretched into a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

She looked down at her desk and pulled out the sizeable three-ring notebook. She looked back up as she began flipping the pages until she found the section marked H.

"Yes, here he is'" she said as she pointed a long red acrylic fingernail beside his name.

"What is your name?" she asked, licking her red lips with the tip of her tongue.

Logan smirked before replying, "Logan Huntzberger."

Ivy looked back in the notebook and smiled when she saw his name.

"Oh, there you are. I hope you don't mind that I call you, Logan," she winked.

"I will need your signature and your ID."

Logan pulled out his driver's license and passport card, since his license was from England, and handed it to her. He made a note to himself to get a new license as soon as possible. She then ran the cards through a card reader to make copies so that it will be on the main computer in the central office.

"Perfect, just sign here, and on the visitor's registration. Here is your badge." Ivy handed him the visitor badge as he signed in.

"Are you familiar with our buildings?" she asked him.

"No, this is my first visit."

"Perfect, unfortunately, I can't leave the desk now, or I will take you to your grandfather's home. Let me page one of the other receptionists to see if they can give you a tour and then take you to visit your grandfather."

"Home?" Logan asked in surprise.

"Oh, yes, our facility offers several living choices. We offer short term rehab, independent living, and assisted living. Depending on the needs of our residents, they can choose the type of home they wish to live in. For the residents who are independent and still drive, they may choose a two-bedroom home with a basement and garage or the deluxe with basement and patio. Another chose, is the Cottage home, which is a one-bedroom, one bath, and a lovely patio. I see here that your grandfather chose one of the large Cottage homes. He overlooks the 9th hole of the golf course."

"You have a golf course here?" Logan asked, surprised.

"Oh yes, our seniors are highly active, and they have complete access to this beautiful facility, whether they are here temporarily for rehab or if they decide to stay and live here full time. Many of our clients come here for rehab, then once they have lived here, they enjoy the community living so much that they decide to move here permanently. We also offer reciprocal homes in Florida and the Carolinas. Many of our active residents will leave in January and stay at one of the residents there for the winter months returning here in April."

"Well I'm impressed, do you think you can tell me where my grandfather's cottage is located?"

"Let me call his cottage and see if he is there." Ivy picked up the phone and dialed his number and continued to talk to Logan.

"Many of the residents love to dine in the cafeteria whenever there is a visiting chef from Manhattan. Tonight, they had the chef from Le Grenouille. Our director, Cissy Humphreys, makes sure our residents have the best care and opportunities to live a comfortable life in their twilight years."

Logan arched his eyebrows and smirked and wondered if he should consider moving his mother to this place.

Ivy put the phone down and said, "It looks like your grandfather is not in his cottage, so that means he is probably still at dinner. You are welcome to go there, just follow the hallway to your left past the barbershop, day room, and the small bar area where they offer, barista-style drinks during the day and light cocktails and have music in the evenings. The dining room is the next room with the white French doors, you can't miss it."

"Thank you," Logan smiled as he left and walked down the large hallway painted in a pleasant neutral color with white crown molding. Logan peered into a large room where a younger woman was talking with two elderly women beside the fireplace. On the wall above the mantel of the fireplace was a large 70-inch LED television, He noticed that the tv was on and the old black and white show Twilight Zone was playing. The women were sitting in comfortable recliners with a small wooden table between them talking to the lady who was standing beside one of the chairs. They were not paying any attention to the television. Logan stopped and looked at the screen; it was the Long Morrow.

Logan stood there frozen, watching the scene remembering the hours that he and Rory watched that movie together. He remembered how sad he was to leave her to go and work in London after his graduation, so he sent her the rocket ship as a gift to remind her that he would wait for her forever.

Closing his eyes, he turned from the doorway, sadly walking down the hall where he heard soft music playing. He followed the sounds of the music, suddenly stopping in front of the set of white French doors that were propped open. He heard soft voices in conversation and looked inside the doorway. He noticed groups of tables with white linen tablecloths and candles set up in the room. Groups of two, four, six, and eight people were sitting scattered throughout the room. Inside the entranceway was a menu board listing the evening specials.

 **Tonight's Specials**

 **Appetizers**

 **Lobster Salad Canapes**

 **Escargots**

 **Crab Cakes**

 **Starters**

 **Soup der Jour - French Onion Soup**

 **Entree**

 **Roasted Pork w/Chipotle Glaze**

 **Turkey London Broil**

 **Crispy Atlantic Salmon**

 **Sides**

 **Asparagus risotto croquettes, parsley sauce**

 **Spring Mix vegetables**

 **Mashed Sweet potatoes**

 **Dauphinoise Potatoes**

 **Butternut squash**

 **String beans**

 **Desserts**

 **Berry Crepes**

 **Double Chocolate Cake**

 **Pumpkin Flan**

 **Assorted Cookies**

As Logan entered the dining room, the aroma of the food being served, made him realize that he hadn't eaten since breakfast. As he weaved his way through the room, Logan heard his grandfather's voice. Smiling, Logan walked towards the table that had six people sitting around it. His grandfather was sitting with his back to the room, sitting beside an attractive woman with short, ash blonde hair. To the left of his grandfather sat a man with a full head of white hair and a thick, groomed white beard. Logan stood behind the table listening when he heard the man say,

"Elias, you old coot. What makes you think that a company like Hayden Publishing will bow down to your son?"

Logan moved over to the wall leaning against it with his hands in his pocket. He stood there quietly listening to their conversation. Logan watched as his grandfather slowly brought the amber liquid to his lips, pausing before he sipped his drink.

His grandfather's grey eyes crinkled in mischief before he said, "Lewis, you know that Francine never had the head for business. Straub was the one in charge, and his son, well, let's just say he was a disappointment. Now thirty-three years later, things have changed, Christopher is running two substantial multi-million-dollar companies. How long can he continue to do this? He has no male heir to take over, and his only daughter is in grammar school."

"He is doing a surprisingly excellent job of it, " Lewis commented. "The companies are making more money since Christopher took over than when the judge was alive."

"I can't argue with you there, but until a month ago, they had a publisher that knew what he was doing. Francine forced him into retirement, now they don't have a publisher. Mitchum called me when he heard that Francine went into Hartford Memorial a few weeks ago. This is the perfect time for Mitchum to purchase that company. It's time for me to take that company back."

The woman who was sitting beside his grandfather patted his hand gently and said, "Elias, you are getting yourself worked up again." Suddenly she looked up, noticing Logan leaning against the wall beside their table.

Smiling, she gave the young man a quick look admiring his grey suit and handsome face. He looked oddly familiar and leaning over to Elias, she said, "I think we have a visitor." Raising her voice, she then directed her question to Logan, "Have you been eavesdropping, young man?"

Logan gave her a smirk and watched as this attractive woman rubbed his grandfather's thigh. The old coot had a female friend as he watched his grandfather gently pat her hand as he turned around in his chair, staring at his grandson.

"Logan? What are you doing here? Why aren't you in London?"

"Grandfather," he said and held out his hand, walking towards him.

"Elias, is this your grandson?" The woman asked Elias. She immediately stood up, walking toward Logan looking closely at the young man.

"Elias, it seems he has inherited your arrogant personality and sex appeal." Smiling, she extended her hand towards him allowing her eyes to linger over his athletic build and a cocky smile that Logan gave her. "Hello, my name is Keekie, your grandfather and I have known each other for a long time. Are you single? I'm sure you are, you don't seem the type to let any girl settle you down. Just like your grandfather."

Logan gave his grandfather a sly grin, and the corner of his eyes crinkled in amusement.

"He's engaged to be married." Elias grumbled. "Did you come alone? Or did your father send you."

Logan smiled at Keekie, "I am no longer engaged, and yes, granddad, I came alone."

"What do you mean you are no longer engaged. Your father told me that you finally asked that beautiful French senior editor from Vogue Paris to marry you. He assured me that the engagement was announced, and the wedding date was set. "

Logan looking amused shook his head.

Elias continued, "Wait, don't tell me you went back to your college girlfriend. I thought that was over when she turned you down 7 years ago. Your father told me that you two were shacking up together whenever she was on an assignment in London. I told you then, and I'm telling you now, she is not the right one for you. "

Logan realized now that his grandfather was behind the whole Dynastic plan too and angrily said, "Tell me Gramps have you been spying on me? How do you know what and who I need in my life?" Logan glared at his grandfather. "We need to talk. I came over here to tell you that Dad took off for Europe, leaving me in charge while his wife, my mother, was lying in the hospital recovering from a fall where she shattered her ankle. Now, unless you want me to lay our dirty laundry out here, I suggest that we go someplace and talk privately."

Elias looked at Logan in surprise. The people around them became quiet. Lewis looked over to Keekie and indicated with his eyes that she returns to her seat. Shaking her head, she remained standing behind Elias, ready to say something. Her friend Rose walked up behind her and quietly whispered in her ear, then taking her by the arm she led her away. Elias stood stunned in silence; he was not used to anyone, especially his favorite grandson, telling him what to do. Glaring at Logan with his steely grey eyes and with a tight lip grin, Elias growled, "You dare talk to me like that?"

"I am talking to you now and unless you want me to air the family secrets, I suggest we go someplace private and talk."

Trying to regain some dignity and authority, he barked, "Don't just stand there Logan, get my walker."

Logan turned and saw six walkers of all shapes, color, and sizes lined up beside each other like parked cars. Logan had no idea which walker was his grandfathers, then it dawned on him, when did his grandfather start using a walker.

"It's the blue one," Lewis said quietly, when he noticed Logan's confusion.

Grabbing the blue walker, he placed it in front of his grandfather. He watched in surprise as he saw how unsteady his grandfather was as he slowly leaned on the walker. Logan had no idea that his grandfather's health had deteriorated. He was angry that his parents never bothered to tell him and wondered if his sister was also unaware of their grandfather's decline. His heart attack happened two months ago, and he wondered if it was typical for the recovery to take so long.

Logan sadly watched his grandfather push the walker in front of him as he slowly shuffled behind it. Slowly moving towards the door, Elias asked Logan, "Alright, Let's go. Where would you like to go and talk?"

"Someplace private. How about your cottage."

"That tin can?" he scoffed, "Fine, follow me."

They slowly walked pass the large room again, where a group of people was entering. He noticed his grandfather stand straighter when the group recognized him. A woman with purple hair approached him and put her hand on his arm.

"Elias, are you and Keekie going to join us tonight in a game of bridge?"

"Not tonight, Johanna, my grandson came to visit." Elias then introduced Logan to the group of eight people. Logan smiled politely and shook their hands.

"That's a disappointment, I hope you got yourself a sub," Johanna said to him.

"I'm sure Keekie is asking someone right now."

"You will be missed," Johanna said and gently kissed his grandfather on the cheek. She then followed the group into the room, talking as they sat down at a table as a staff member brought refreshments to them.

Elias moved closer to Logan, whispering, "I suppose I should thank you since you got me out of playing bridge. I hate playing that damn game."

"So, why do you play it?"

"What else am I going to do here? Plus, Keekie can be nice if you know what I mean."

Logan rolled his eyes at his grandfather as they proceeded down the hall. They walked towards a sliding glass door that automatically opened and led to a glass atrium that connected to a walkway towards the cottages outside. His grandfather paused and adjusted the blazer that he was wearing, then they continued to walk through the well-lit atrium to the other side. The door opened to a beautiful flagstone path that was covered with an awning and lined with large outdoor heaters. They walked down the road passing three cottage type homes before they stopped at a patio that had a view of the golf course.

"This is the back entrance to my tin can. I like to walk back this way." Elias turned and looked out at the golf course and sighed. "Sometimes I use the golf cart to get around,"

Elias opened his sliding door and parked his walker beside the closet near the door. He slowly walked to his recliner. Logan followed him, glancing around the cottage. The main room was spacious that opened into the dining area where a large granite counter separates it from the kitchen. Logan was surprised at how few of his grandfather's personal belongings were in the apartment. Sitting against one wall underneath a painting was a leather couch with a tartan plaid blanket resting on the back of it. A matching recliner sat opposite facing a gas fireplace where a 50-inch television was mounted above it. Next to the granite counter were two high back stools, and not far away was an oak table with four chairs. In the middle of the table sat a basket that had a collection of papers in it.

Logan watched as his grandfather slowly moved over to the matching leather recliner. Beside the sliding glass door was a large bookcase filled with some of his grandfather's books. Logan wondered where the rest of his collection was. Logan stood beside the patio door watching as the sky darkened over the golf course.

"Pour yourself a drink, and pour me two fingers of scotch, will you boy?" Elias said as he sat back in his chair.

Logan walked towards the bar cart set up near the dining room table. He poured himself and his grandfather two fingers of Macallan Gold, then walked back, handing his grandfather his drink. Logan sat on the leather couch watching as his grandfather inhaled the aroma of the scotch before he took a sip.

Peering over his glass at his grandson Elias said, "Best scotch on the market. I hope you are keeping a bottle of this in your office."

Logan sipped his drink and nodded.

"What's going on? Why did your father run off to Europe while your mother is in the hospital? What really happened?"

"Odette," Logan responded to his Grandfather. "She didn't want to get married, and like myself, she was being forced into this arrangement. I'm not sure what led up to the argument, but it had something to do with Odette's mother and mom."

"What do you mean? She wasn't forced into the marriage. They approached your father, guaranteeing him the buyout of Vogue, your future and the future of HPG." Elias finished his drink in one gulp, then pushing himself out of the chair, he shuffled over to the bar cart pouring himself another glass of scotch.

Logan watched his grandfather's profile as he poured himself that drink. His once perfectly styled silver hair needed a haircut, and he looked feeble. The stubborn man who successfully built HPG and ran it for decades was now gone. Logan, who often feared confrontations with him, was no longer afraid.

Logan walked over to him and took the bottle from his shaking hand. "Granddad, what is really going on? Why did Dad call this the Dynastic Plan convincing me that this was the right thing to do? From the beginning, it never felt right, Odette and I were playing a part like we were characters in a bad play. Yes, we enjoyed each other's company when we went to events and dinner, but there was nothing there. We were both happier living our different lives. Something made Odette snap and seeing mom in the hospital, I realize now that I no longer want any involvement in Dad's plan. Please be honest with me, were you in cahoots with him on this plan? Who came up with this idea, you or dad?"

Elias didn't answer his grandson's question; instead, he changed the subject.

"You witness the accident? Your mother didn't make this up, did she? We both know how she loves her pills and scotch."

"Honor, her boys, and I were there when it happened. Mom, Honor, and Odette had been in the city planning this wedding. They were upstairs arguing when we heard a scream. Honor ran to the staircase, witnessing Odette pushing mom down the stairs."

"Do you know what the argument was about Logan? Your mother can be difficult." Elias frowned at Logan.

"According to Honor, it had to do with Odette's mother and dad. Whatever the argument was about, you don't deliberately push someone down a flight of stairs in anger. I asked the hospital to check mom's alcohol level, and she had none in her system. In fact, if she had, she would not have broken her ankle. Once the operation was completed, I returned home to stay with the kids and told Odette to leave. Dad was nowhere around when mom went into the hospital. When I finally called him, he was on a plane heading to Paris. The whole-time mom was in the hospital, he never called or checked on her. His words to me were, have Honor take care of everything, including all your mother's committee duties, and Logan, you take over the office here in Hartford."

Elias sat there playing with the rim of his glass then took a sip. Staring at Logan with his steel-gray eyes. Elias said softly, "I didn't think Odette would cause any family problems. I guess I was wrong. Your father had assured me that she wanted this marriage."

"Gramps, this marriage is not happening. A press release was sent to the media stating the engagement is off along with the wedding. I already sent it to page six and it will appear in the other papers and magazines . It will air tonight and tomorrow on TMZ, I personally sent it over to the production manager of the show."

Logan finished his drink then poured himself another, adding ice this time. Standing beside his grandfather, in front of the sliding glass door, Logan studied his grandfather's features in the reflection of the glass. He noticed the crows' feet under his eyes, from the many hours of reading that he still must do, his steely grey eyes not communicating his feelings. His grandfather was a very dignified man who people respected and feared. He hid his feelings from everyone, including his family and wife. He never let people know what he was feeling or thinking. For years he watched his father imitate his grandfather, maneuvering people around HPG like chess pieces. He listened saying nothing when his father dangled Conde Nast in front of Rory, promising her a job there. Standing here he realized these last three years he was turning into his father and grandfather. By giving up Rory his life was empty. Logan knew that his grandfather was connected to this, but he wasn't sure who came up with the plan. Logan was tired of the games that his father and grandfather played. He had been the pawn for them all his life. They might have wanted him to be the future of HPG, the crown prince that will inherit the keys to their kingdom, but what good is this kingdom if Rory was not his queen. Elias stood silent, watching Logan's reflection. He saw the anger, the frustration in his face, and his body language. The way he gripped the glass showed Elias that his grandson was no longer the free-spirited boy that Mitchum had to control but a man who was taking control of his life. He was afraid that Logan was going to leave the company and if he did that, what would happen to HPG. He had to do something.

"Go ahead, Logan," Elias said to his grandson. "Ask me the question that is burning through your mind."

"Ask you what?" Logan asked him, squinting back at him.

"Something is on your mind; I can see the anger and frustration on your face?"

Logan walked back to the couch and placed his glass on the table. He sat back and looked at his grandfather, who turned away from the glass door, looking back at him. Should he ask him why they made him give or Rory? No, he did not want to show his hand. So instead he asked about Hayden Publishing.

"Tell me, why do you want to buy Hayden Publishing Company? I heard you talking to Lewis. Why did you say it was time for you to take it back?" Logan asked him.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Dad sent me to see Christopher Hayden a few weeks ago when he knew I was going to be here in the US."

Elias slowly walked back to his chair and sat down. Mitchum had gotten his son involved, it was supposed to be a quiet sale between himself and Christopher. What happened that involved Logan?

"Since your father involved you, I guess I better go back to the beginning. Straub Hayden and I had been friends when we were around your age. We both were married and had a family, both investing into our future. He built that company for his son and future grandchildren he one day would have, but Christopher and his father became estranged. Unfortunately, his plans changed, and he never lived long enough to plan for the future of Hayden Publishing Company. Christopher left the area and didn't become involved with the Hayden Holdings until his grandfather died, leaving him everything except the publishing companies. You see, the Hayden and Sons Publishing Company was left in Francine's hands.

Elias looked at his grandson and took another sip of his drink. Logan watched his grandfather's eyes as he seemed to stare off into space,

"It was 1983," Elias continued, "We were young bucks back then, who both inherited our business sense from our fathers. I, of course, was a Yale Man, and he was a Princeton Man. Straub wanted to have something for his son. He wanted him to go to Princeton, and so he decided to build a publishing company. He asked me to head up the publishing company back then, but I had to decline because I was too busy building HPG, raising my family, and trying to keep your father in line. You were an infant, and your grandmother convinced me to have Mitchum and his family move back here. She was not happy with your mother, and she felt she could control her if you lived closer to us. She also loved her grandchildren. I could never say no to your grandmother, so I gave him an ultimatum. Your father was to return to work for HPG and help me build it. I was going to train him to take over the company, and eventually, it would go to you." Elias looked at his grandson and said, "That was when the Dynastic Plan was born Logan."

Logan was surprised with this news. Elias continued, " In 1984 something happened, and Straub and Francine began to spend time in Europe. Straub also was building his law firm and helping his father with Hayden Holdings. To help Straub and Francine with Hayden and Sons, I suggested that your father recommend they hire Walter King to be the publisher. He kept the business going, always following our recommendations. Once Straub died, your father's goal was to own Hayden Holdings and give it to you to run when you were ready to take over the business. It was his plan to give it to you as a wedding gift when you married Odette."

"This company is very profitable, Gramps, why do you think they will sell it?"

"It doesn't have a Publisher; Logan and you will be an excellent publisher for this company. Christopher is running two businesses, and he doesn't have an heir to take over the business. Unlike you, Christopher Hayden has no background in journalism. He finally got his business degree and has surrounded himself with smart lawyers, and I am surprised that he has become a good businessman. However, he is not as ruthless as Straub. I encouraged Colin's father, Oscar, to merge his law offices with Hayden Holdings. By doing that, Mitchum had a way to keep an eye on the company and guaranteeing that Hayden Holdings would eventually go to prominent families here in Hartford."

"I don't understand how Odette's family got involved."

"Actually, it was both your mother and father that came up with that idea. You see, your father failed to make the changes to keep up with digital journalism. He became interested in politics and the ladies. I know that you tried many times to make changes in the company, only having him stop them. By doing that, he put our company at risk. Last spring, just before you became engaged, I told him he had to fix the problem. He came up with the plan for your marriage, blending Conde Nast fortune with ours. I've always been a gambler, Logan, but gambling on your father was a bad risk. Your mother loved the idea of having a European debutante and heiress as a daughter in law. I gave your father too much control."

Logan bit his bottom lip and shook his head. The joke was on his father and grandfather. Rory is a Hayden, and if they had let him marry her, they wouldn't be in this predicament right now.

"Tell me what happened when you met Christopher with your father's offer," his grandfather asked him.

"The first time I went to meet him, he had to leave because his mother was rushed to the hospital. I decided that now that a couple of weeks have passed, I should go back and see if he was still interested in selling. I returned to Hayden Holdings to speak to Christopher Hayden, and that's when he told me that the company was not for sale. His mother, Francine, hired Eric Brady to head the company."

"Hmpff, where is Francine now?" his grandfather mumbled.

"I'm not sure. She isn't at the hospital. Mom and Dad sent over flowers, and I went to visit her today, but she was released. I have no idea where she is."

"Hmpff. I wonder if she returned to Europe. Well, this changes everything. Eric Brady is a very sharp businessman and understands the changes in the publishing world that your father has ignored while he has been fooling around with his latest distractions." Elias paused and looked up at his grandson.

"Who is in charge now of our family Thanksgiving dinner?"

"Honor is organizing the family dinner that you insisted on having this year. Why?"

"I just want to make sure it wasn't cancelled. Honor will do a decent job, tell her to have it catered and have it at the family house."

"You know, granddad, I think you underestimate Honor. I am amazed at all that my sister does. She immediately took over the organization of this dinner and joined the committees that mom was on. She also is running her own household, organizing mom's household for her, while running her three kids to their activities. She doesn't rely on a nanny or a house full of maids. I've been helping her out, going over and joining a few of the committees. I also contacted Uncle Alec today to give him an update on Mom and the dinner. He and Matt are planning on arriving early in the week. He told me that Aunt Millie is arriving on Tuesday and will be staying with Aunt Meredith and Uncle Werner."

"Good, this is good. Thank you, Logan, for contacting them. I need to make some changes, and while they are here, I can have a family board meeting." Elias finished his drink, mumbling. He then looked up at Logan, his eyes suddenly becoming brighter.

"Logan, I need you to call your father. I want you to get him on the phone now. If he doesn't answer his phone, use this number," he told him, handing him a piece of paper. Logan recognized the country code, it was France, so he dialed that number first. He then gave his phone to his grandfather.

Logan had put it on speaker for his grandfather and immediately heard his father's voice when he answered the line. "Logan, how did you get this number! I have nothing to say to you," Mitchum bellowed.

"This isn't Logan, this is your father," Elias replied into the phone.

"Mitchum, we have a mess that you created, and now it's time that you come home. I want you on the plane immediately. This mess should not be left for your son to clean up. I am calling an emergency board meeting, and you need to be here."

Logan heard his father mumble something back into the phone, and Elias spoke through his teeth.

"I really don't care. Logan had every right alerting the media. So, I suggest unless you want your photo with your mistress on Page Six, that you get rid of her. Remember, I have photos in an envelope in my safe ready to send out to them. Mitchum get rid of your mistress."

"You wouldn't dare," Mitchum yelled at his father.

"Mitchum, do you want to see?"

Elias ended the call and handed the phone back to Logan.

"I have had enough of your father's behavior and recent mismanagement of the company."

Elias got up and walked over to the painting that was above the leather couch. He hit a side panel on the frame, and it swung open. Behind it was a safe and pressing his fingerprint on the panel, it swung open. He rummaged through it and found what he was looking for.

"Take this with you, Logan, and put it in a safe place. I suggest it not be left at the office or your father's home. If he doesn't retire from his position, then we will release these photographs of him."

"Gramps, isn't this going to hurt HPG?" Logan asked him.

"Only if he chooses not to cooperate. There are going to be some changes here at HPG. Logan, I have been watching you, and I don't always agree with your choice of friends; however, in the last few years, you have proven yourself in the London office.

Elias then cleared his throat. "You have grown up and have led the London office, hiring good people, popular authors, and staying ahead of the game. I'm not always willing to admit when I'm wrong, which isn't often, but you have done a terrific job with the European market. Your father was wrong, you don't need a trophy wife by your side to get the work done."

Logan looked at his grandfather and thought about Rory and wondered why he listened to his father and convinced him to give her up for their Dynastic Plan.

"Logan, you have shown that you are capable of taking the bull by the horns and making your own decisions. Since this is a world company, I want you to take over the offices here in Connecticut. If you haven't already, I want you to move into your father's office and take over the management of HPG in Hartford. You are the new acting Publisher."

As his grandfather spoke, Logan sat there in astonishment. He let Rory control their relationship when they got back together in Hamburg, but not anymore. It wasn't too late now… once he gets things organized, he can offer her job here at HPG as an editor, they can finally be together, then they could plan to help with Hayden Publishing. He would propose again and not take no for an answer.

"I'm calling your uncle Alec as soon as you leave. I want him to fly in tomorrow. The others can fly in as planned for Thanksgiving. I want Alec here so we can sit down and talk. It's time to merge his company with HPG. "

Logan looked up from his thoughts and nodded. His grandfather was planning on merging his uncle's company with HPG. "I am sure Alec will agree, with you as head of HPG, he will support it. This will give me the majority of votes when we hold the board meeting on Thanksgiving. "

Finally, Logan found his voice. Looking over at his grandfather, he asked, "Gramps, are you serious? Are you telling me that I am the Publisher of HPG?"

"Yes, effective tomorrow. You are the publisher in charge of the American division. We will meet with the board once your uncle is here and make the announcement."

"I don't know what to say?"

"Logan, this is your company now, I'm not going to live forever. You have been groomed for this position since you were a child. I will be forcing your father into retirement. It's time he spent time with your mother. They can travel do things together. Your mother needs to keep a better eye on him. You do know that your father's mistress was Odette's mother."

"I figured that out when Honor told me about the argument," Logan admitted sitting back in the chair as he finished his second drink.

Elias sat back, looking at his grandson. "You look a lot like Alec sitting there, Logan. I miss him, and it's time he came back home."

Logan watched as his grandfather looked off in the distance. "Why I ever let Mitchum take over the business… " Logan sat there not saying anything as his grandfather became lost in thought, suddenly he heard him speak again. "Well, it doesn't matter anymore. I am proud of you, boy."

Elias stood up, "I have phone calls to make. Thank you for stopping by and telling me what's going on. I will talk to you tomorrow. Call me as soon as you hear from your father. "

Logan got up and walked over to his grandfather and shook his hand. He went out the front door of the cottage and began to walk towards the parking lot where he parked in front of the building. As he walked on the beautifully lit grounds, he thought about the conversation he just had with his grandfather. Now, his dream of being with Rory will come true. He saw a vision of them together running HPG, and eventually, acquiring Hayden Publishing.

He pulled his phone from his pocket, calling his sister as he walked towards his car.

Honor picked up the phone after two rings.

"Honor, how's mom?" he asked.

"Insufferable but resting. The nurse Rosie is with her now. I am on my way home. How did the meeting with grandpa go?"

"Interesting, I'll meet you at your house and tell you all about it."

"See you soon, brother."

Logan hung up the phone and climbed into his car.


	34. Chapter 33 Family Dinner and Conversati

**Chapter 33 Family Dinner and Conversation**

Tristan pulled into the parking lot beside the First and Last Tavern on Maple Street. With his hand on Rory's lower back, they walked in and stood to wait for the hostess. As Rory and Tristan stood waiting at the hostess desk, the aroma of the tomatoes and cheese made her stomach growl.

"It smells heavenly in here, no wonder my mother suggested this place," Rory said, leaning into Tristan's side.

The hostess came over to them, "A table for two?" she asked, smiling up at Tristan.

"No, we have reservations under Luke Danes."

She checked her list. Smiling, she said, "Right this way." The young woman led them to a round table for four near the middle of the room.

"Your waitress will be right over," she told them, placing the menus on the table. She then left, returning shortly with a pitcher of water.

Tristan reached overtaking Rory's hand in his. "I've always liked this restaurant. My grandparents used to take me here as a kid. It was always known for having the best pizza and homemade bread in the city."

"I've never been here before. Do you have a favorite pizza?" Rory asked him.

"Besides the clam pizza?" He said with a grin remembering sharing it with his grandfather.

"Clam pizza?" she responded, wrinkling up her nose.

"Hey, Mare, don't knock it until you try it."

The waitress dressed in black pants and a crisp white shirt with a red apron came over to their table. Pulling the pen and pad out of her pocket, she said, "Welcome to The First and Last Tavern. Could I start you with a drink?"

"I'll have a glass of the Ruffino Chianti," Rory said.

"Let's make it a bottle, please," Tristan said. As the waitress left to fill their order, Tristan took Rory's hand in his. "Are you going to tell your mother that you are going to take the job?" he asked, kissing the back of her hand.

"I'm not sure, I don't want to start problems between mom, dad, and Luke."

"What about moving, how do you think your dad will take that?"

"I think he will be okay, I'm not sure about Gigi. We've gotten close since I moved in."

"Hey sweets," Lorelai said as she and Luke walked towards their table. Rory stood up, hugging her mother and then Luke. Tristan stood, shaking Luke's hand and then giving Lorelai an air kiss on the cheek.

Luke and Lorelai sat down beside Tristan and Rory.

"What are you drinking?" Lorelai asked Rory.

"Tristan just ordered a bottle of Chianti," she told her.

"That sounds good. What do you think, Luke? Do you want wine tonight or beer?"

"No, the Chianti sounds good."

The waitress returned with the bottle and four glasses. Opening the bottle, she poured a little in the glass for Tristan to taste. Tristan nodded, then she filled each of the glasses.

"Cheers," Lorelai said, raising her glass to clink with theirs. "I am glad we finally had a chance to get together."

"What were you both doing today?" Lorelai asked them.

"Tristan and I went car shopping, and I got a car," Rory told them.

"That's great news, did you get another Toyota?" Lorelai asked her.

"No, I ended up leasing a blue Lexus." She pulled out the brochure handing it across the table to show her mother and Luke.

Lorelai raised her eyebrow, "This looks like a sports car and not practical for the winters here. Why didn't you get yourself a Jeep?"

"You know Rory, your mother is right. A Jeep is very practical. I worry about you getting stuck in the snow," Luke said. A small SUV might have been a better choice."

"No, this is an all-wheel-drive vehicle, and it manages well in the snow." Lorelai handed the brochure back to Rory, deciding it wasn't worth arguing about.

"Have you thought about moving back home? Luke and I have been working on the apartment above the diner. We figured it would be a great place for you to work, and if you want, we can knock out the wall above the Candy Shoppe, and we can add more rooms so you could live there," Lorelai told her.

"Mom, Luke, thank you for the offer, but I'm not returning to Stars Hollow. I'm staying here in Hartford," she told her mother. She reached for her glass of wine and sipped it. Noticing that Rory was becoming upset, Tristan put his hand in her lap and gently squeezed her thigh. Rory put her hand on top of his holding his hand as the table grew silent.

"So, are you staying at your grandmother's?"

"No, I'm…" the young waitress came over to their table, and Rory stopped talking.

"Have you decided what you want to order tonight?"

Lorelai looked at Rory, Tristan, and Luke, shaking her head.

"Mare, do you still want a pizza?" Tristan asked Rory.

"What do you think, mom? Would you like to share a pizza and wings?" Rory asked her mother. Lorelai looked over the menu and looked at Luke, then she looked at her daughter.

"I think Pizza and wings sound great." Lorelai smiled at her daughter, then looked at Luke, who was looking at the pizza choices on the menu.

"Yea, that's good. Lorelai, which one do you want?" Luke asked her.

"Rory, what type of pizza are you thinking. They all sound delicious," Lorelai said as she glanced over the menu, changing the subject. She turned and watch the waitress bring over a large pizza to the table beside them, piled with fresh shrimp, and garlic. "Excuse me, is that the Scampi pizza?" she asked the waitress.

"Yes, that is one of our most popular pizzas along with the Tomato pie," she replied. "Do you need more time, or are you ready to order?"

Tristan looked at Rory, who smiled, "I think we are ready. We will have two orders of the chicken wings for the table, we will split a mixed salad with the house dressing on the side and the large clam pizza for the table."

Lorelai looked at her husband, "Let's get the Tomato Pie," she whispered to Luke.

"Fine, Lorelai." Luke rolled his eyes at his wife. "Let's order the Tomato pie for the table, and we will also split the mixed salad, with crumbly blue cheese and Italian dressing on the side."

The waitress smiled and asked, "Would you like anything else?"

Lorelai looked at the menu and noticed that they had garlic bread with mozzarella.

"Please bring an order of garlic bread with mozzarella for the table."

They handed the waitress their menus. Tristan smiled and put his arm on the back of Rory's chair, gently caressing her shoulder with his thumb. Watching her mother, Rory noticed that she appeared nervous. Frowning, Rory asked," Mom, what's bothering you?"

Lorelai looked over at Luke, then leaning forward in her seat she reached for her daughter's hand.

"Rory. Luke and I talked to Christopher when we brought the car back. He told us about Hayden Holdings, specifically Hayden Publishing. Is this the reason you bought a car and are staying in Hartford?"

Rory tensed up, and Tristan reached over gently rubbing circles on the back of her hand.

Looking into her daughter's eyes, Lorelai reached across the table for Rory's hand." Hey, the last thing I want to do tonight is fight with you. I am not upset if you go and work for your dad. In fact, Luke and I both agree that working at Hayden Publishing could be a good thing. It would keep you nearby, and you wouldn't be traveling all over the world looking for stories taking you to places unknown. I know how hard it was for you."

Rory looked at her mother and didn't say anything, "Sweets, I've missed you when I heard that you went to the hospital and I was so far away... I felt so helpless."

Rory squeezed her mother's fingers and said, "I've missed you too, mom. I didn't want you to be upset when I told you that I am taking the job at Hayden Publishing. I know things between you and Dad are…"

Lorelai looked at her daughter and gently smiled," Things are good between your father and me. We want what's best for you. Right, Luke?"

"If this is what you want, then we will support you." Luke agreed.

"I think it is. Before you say anything, I want you to know that Dad and I had a long talk. He understands why I hesitated at first. He assured me that if it doesn't work out, then I can leave and move on with my life. I do have other options, but I would have to leave the area, and right now, I don't want to leave." Rory turned and looked at Tristan, who nodded and squeezed her hand.

"Mom, Luke, you know that I have been living on my own for a while, and though it has been good living with grandma Hayden, I need my own space. Dad understands, but living in Stars Hollow wouldn't work. Half of the time I can't get cell service, and with this job, I will need to travel, so I must be close to an airport."

Tristan and Luke quietly leaned back in their chairs, watching the two women talk, keeping their arms draped protectively on the back of the chairs where Lorelai and Rory sat. Tristan gently let his thumb caress her shoulder, keeping her calm. Luke gently rubbed his hand on Lorelai's upper arm. The waitress returned to their table with the salads. "We can talk about this later, Lorelai," Luke whispered to her as the waitress put the mixed salad between each couple, giving them their own plate.

Lorelai looked at the salad, and with her fork, she picked out the apple and popped it in her mouth. She watched Rory put the dressing on her salad.

"Since when do you eat green things?" Lorelai asked her daughter.

"For a while, I've gotten in the habit since living at dads. Eunice always makes a salad and serves it at all our meals. She also has homemade soup available for us to have at lunch. I find that I am beginning to enjoy it," Rory answered as she took a mouthful of the mixed green salad that had feta cheese, almonds and chunks of pear and apple in it.

Lorelai cocked her head at her daughter, watching her dig into the salad that she was sharing with Tristan.

"You've changed," Lorelai said sadly.

"No, I'm still the same," Rory responded, smiling at her mother as she continued to eat.

The waitress brought out the mozzarella bread, and Lorelai cut a piece of the fresh-baked bread dunking it into tomato sauce before she took a bite.

"Rory, would you like a piece? It is delicious, and this red stuff is a vegetable."

"Eat some of the salad, Lorelai," Luke said to her, frowning in her direction. Lorelai made a face at Luke as she continued to eat the bread.

Laughing, Rory took a piece of bread from her mom then dunking it into the tomato sauce.

"Your right mom, it is delicious." She passed the bread to both Luke and Tristan, who also took a piece. The waitress returned with four dinner plates and the food. Giving the dishes to them, she placed the wings on the table and put the two pizzas beside their table on stands. Luke said thank you and began to pass the food around.

Lorelai took a sip of her wine and asked," So have you and Tristan decided to move in together?"

Rory looked at her mother in surprise, putting the piece of pizza that was in her hand back on her plate she frowned as she replied, "Mom, why would you ask me that question? "

Tristan cleared his throat and looked at Lorelai. "Luke and Lorelai, can I say something?"

Rory put her hand on Tristan's shoulder and said, "Tristan, it's okay."

"No, Mare, I want to clear things up. Lorelai, when we first met, I was an arrogant sixteen-year-old who was attracted to your daughter. I always got what I wanted, and your daughter wouldn't give me the time of day. But our lives brought us to various places before fate brought us together. "Rory turned looking at Tristan smiling, not sure what he was going to say.

"Mare and I have started to date seriously. I want you to know that I asked Mare to move in with me. Smiling at her, he said, "But she told me that she isn't ready to do that. I respect your daughter, and I fully understand why she is not ready."

Tristan looked at Rory and gently touched her cheek. "I won't push her, and she knows I've waited sixteen years for us to be together; I can wait until she is ready."

Lorelai looked at Tristan and nodded. "Okay, I just don't want her to jump as she did before. "

"I'm not jumping," Rory responded, looking up at her mom.

"Good, have you thought about where you will be living?" Lorelai asked as she took a bite of her chicken wings.

"Yes, here in the city." Tristan pretending to drop his napkin, leaned over whispered, "Here's your chance. Ask her."

Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, Rory asked, "Mom. Would you like to go with me and look at some apartments?"

Luke smirked and raised his eyebrows at Lorelai.

"You really want my help?" Lorelai asked skeptically.

"Of course I do. Mom, you couldn't go with me when I found the apartment in Flushing,"

"Yes, and you were in that terrible walk-up apartment, and I worried about you."

"But, you didn't worry about me when I was in Europe."

"That's true because you told me about your roommate… Dee Dee."

"Maybe you should have," Rory said quietly.

Lorelai looked at her daughter, smiling, said, "Your right, I should have, but Rory, would you have listened to me?"

"No, I jumped, and I guess that's why I hid it. But mom, I'm not hiding anymore. I finally feel like I am in control." Rory looked over the rim of her glass of wine at Tristan. Tristan was the one who is making her feel confident, making her feel wanted and adored.

As they continued to eat talking and enjoying each other's company. The topic soon came to the upcoming holiday.

Lorelai pushed her plate away and took Luke's hand in hers. "You know Ror, I'm looking forward to the holiday this year. Instead of having two separate Thanksgivings, now that we are married, we decided to hold one big celebration at the Inn. Luke is going to close the diner that day after the morning rush, and everyone will be invited to come to the Inn. Will you two be able to join us?"

"We haven't discussed it yet," Tristan replied. "My parents usually go away for a holiday. As one of the surgical residents, I have had to work at the hospital during the holidays."

Rory tilted her head, looking closely at her mother.

"Mom, I can't leave Dad, Gigi, and Grandma Francine alone, especially this year, since Grandma Francine is recovering from her heart surgery."

"Oh, I didn't realize you would want to spend Thanksgiving with them, I just assumed that you would want to join us since you haven't been home in a long time for the holidays."

"What do you mean, Mom, I've been home."

"Rory, you would fly in on Halloween, and Sookie would cook a turkey breast. Then you would return to Europe and maybe fly back for a long weekend in the middle of January."

"Your right," Rory replied, embarrassed that she was so consumed with Logan that she had hurt her mother. Rory blushed as she took a long sip from her wine glass. "Mom. Let me check with dad and see what his plans are," Rory told her mother.

"Okay but, what if we invited them, and your parents, Tristan, to join us for Thanksgiving." Lorelai smiled at Luke, who nodded and gently squeezed her shoulder.

"Well… Tris, what do you think?" She turned to ask him.

"I'll talk to my parents and check my schedule," Tristan told them.

"That's great, Rory if Tristan is working, maybe he can join us later," Lorelai said.

"Mom, what about Grandma Emily, is she returning from Nantucket this year?"

"Yes," Lorelai responded, putting her wine glass down on the table. "She and Jack will be back in Hartford soon. He has a meeting sometime next week, and she decided to return home early."

"Jack?"

"Oh that's right, Jack was a friend of Dads. He is also a widow, and they have been together since March."

"So Grandma is dating? Is that why she didn't come to your wedding?"

"I'm not sure, but she is coming home for Thanksgiving. You know her house is still empty. I'm sure your grandmother would be happy to let you live in her pool house."

"I don't think so mom, "Remember, I've done that, and I learned not to ask Grandma Emily for anything." Turning to Tristan, she added, "There are always strings attached."

Rory looked across the table at her mother. "Mom, it's time I move forward with my life. With your support, along with Tristan's and Dad's, I can do this. This job might be good for me. Plus, Paris reminded me that this is my birthright."

Lifting her glass Lorelai chuckled when Rory mentioned Paris. "I'm proud of you, honey, and I would love to go apartment shopping with you. I want to make a toast. To my beautiful daughter and Tristan, I wish you both happiness in the future." They clinked their glasses and then went back to eating and talking and enjoying their dinner.

Logan drove to his sister's home, thinking about what his grandfather said to him. Earlier today, he was ready to walk away from HPG and his family. Still, now, with his grandfather's offer, he won't be able to leave. He might be able to work with Eric Brady on different projects. This might give him a chance to hire Rory as his Publishing Assistant, especially if she was still working at the Stars Hollow Gazette.

Logan pulled into the circular driveway in front of Honor's home and parked his car. He looked at the beautiful mansion and remembered the day Josh and Honor purchased it. Honor was pregnant with the twins Jared and Jacob, and she had her two-year-old daughter Charlotte in tow. Now the twins were six, and Logan was returning to live here in Hartford. Logan left his car, entering the house through the front door, lost in thought. From the back of the house, he could hear his nephews arguing. It reminded him of Colin and Finn, arguing when they were in college over a game. Smiling, he walked into the kitchen, enjoying the noise and confusion that always surrounded the boys.

"Jer, that is not fair. We are supposed to be on the same team, and you shot me. You idiot," Jake yelled at his brother.

"Hahaha, you're dead now." Jake tackled him and took the control out of his brother's hand.

"Hey, give me back my control," Jer yelled back.

"Mom…, Jake took my control! "Honor stood in the doorway of the family room, which was off the kitchen and yelled, "Jacob, Jared, the game is now off. Go to your rooms now!"

"But mom…." the twins whined. Honor turned and jumped when she saw her brother walk into the kitchen.

"Logan, I didn't hear you come in. I'm so glad that you are here." Honor went over to him and hugging him tightly.

"Hey, Hon. You look exhausted," Logan said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Logan could hear the boys tumbling on the floor roughhousing in the family room and started to chuckle.

Honor walked back into the family room and yelled, "Boys! You have to the count of three. One… two…."

The boys jumped up and ran into the kitchen, where they saw Logan leaning against the counter grinning.

"What's all the yelling about, boys?" Logan asked, leaning down and opening his arms out for a hug.

"Uncle Logan, are you going to spend the night again?" Jake asked, running to him and hugging him around the waist.

"Come on, Uncle Logan, we have a new game. You will love it. "Jer grabbed his uncle's hand, pulling him toward the family room.

"Stop. Boys go to your room for ten minutes now," Honor said with her hands on her hips and glaring at the boys.

"You're not fair, mom," the twins said in unison. Honor shrugged and pointed to the back stairs that went up to their rooms.

"Rules are rules," she said as the boys pouted and turned stomping up the stairs.

"How about a drink?" she said, reaching up, grabbing two glasses and the bottle of scotch.

She poured herself some and then some for her brother. They sat down at the white oak table that sat in the sunny corner of the kitchen. Honor took a drink, then closed her eyes and leaned back.

"Did you talk to Gramps?" she asked him.

"Yes, I just came from there," he told her, not touching his scotch." Where's Josh?"

"Picking Charlotte up from soccer practice," Honor replied.

"Charlie is playing soccer?" Logan asked. "How is she doing?"

"She's on two teams, Oakwood traveling soccer and of course the league its Chilton. Tonight's Oakwood soccer, they should be home soon."

"Now that I'm home, I want to go to some of her games," Logan replied," How is she doing?"

"She enjoys it." Honor responded. Logan smirked when he heard Jake yell down the stairs.

"Mom, can we come down now. We won't fight anymore, we promise."

"Yea, and we want to see Uncle Logan too." Jer agreed as he started to walk down the stairs with a smile on his face. Honor looked at her sons and then at her brother.

"Every time Jer smiles and does something, I see you." Logan laughed and rubbed his chin. Looking at the twins, he wondered if he had had children with Rory if they would look like these two boys.

"Boys, Uncle Logan, and I need to talk about grandma. Why don't you both get changed for bed, then when you come down you can have a snack and watch tv for thirty minutes before going to bed. I bet you might be able to convince Uncle Logan to read you a story," Honor told them.

Jared walked over to Logan. "Can you tell us a story, Uncle Logan?" He leaned against his uncle's shoulder, looking up at him.

"Maybe if you do what your mother says," Logan replied, smiling at his nephew, ruffling his hair.

"Okay," the twins said in unison, running up the stairs. Logan watched the boys with a sad smile.

"So, what's really going on, Logan?"

"I'm not sure. Honor, I ended the engagement and told Gramps. He wasn't mad like I expected. Instead, he asked me, no, he didn't ask, he told me that starting tomorrow, I am the publisher of HPG here in the US."

"You've got to be kidding. Does dad know this?" Honor sat in her chair, shocked by this new information.

"Not yet, Gramps said, that it's time for dad to retire, then complimented me on the way I have been overseeing the offices in London. I'm just as surprised as you are. Especially when he told me to leave because he was going to call Uncle Alec."

"Wait, he is calling Uncle Alec? I thought they didn't talk."

"It surprised me, too, since I spoke to Uncle Alec earlier. I called him asking him for his advice and support when I finally resign from HPG."

"You know Dad won't give up HPG without a fight."

"I know. I dialed the phone for Gramps and sat beside him while he spoke to Dad. I could hear Dad on the other end of the line arguing when Gramps told him to get rid of his mistress and come home immediately. "

Logan played with his glass of scotch. He looked up at his sister. "Hey, Hon, when did Gramps start going downhill?"

Honor sat there looking at her glass then looked up at her brother. "What do you mean?"

"Gramps is still pretty sharp, but he shuffles when he walks and seems sad like he has lost interest in things."

"Hmm, I guess ever since he moved in there. We try to stop by once a week. He enjoys seeing the kids and pays more attention to them than he ever did to us." Honor paused then looked over at the calendar on the refrigerator. Every day for the next two weeks, she was busy. She suddenly felt guilty that she and the children hadn't been to visit Grandpa since Halloween.

"Logan, what about Thanksgiving dinner, is it still on."

"Yes. Gramps was calling Uncle Alec, asking him to arrive early, and he will be arriving tomorrow. Gramps said Aunt Millie and Aunt Meredith will arrive as expected. He is calling an emergency board meeting the day before Thanksgiving."

"Wow. Are you ready for this? I mean so much has happened the last few days, with mom and all." Honor looked at Logan concerned.

"Sure, I have been running the London office now for the last five years. I guess this change was going to come. It just came sooner than Dad had planned. Do you know of any real estate agencies? I need to find a place to live before Thanksgiving. I can't be staying at the house, especially when Gramps tells Dad about the changes he is making at HPG."

"Yea, AR Brady Real Estate on Linden Place. Do you still see Finn?"

"Yea, why?"

"Did you forget that Finn is a Morgan, and his family owns a lot of the apartment complexes in the area? Logan, you know that you are welcome to stay here."

"I know, but I want to keep you and Josh out of the middle of this drama." Honor reached over and took his hand and whispered, "Call Finn."

"It's funny, Honor. Finn has been using his mother's maiden name for so long since he has become an actor, that I forget he is one of the heirs to the Morgan and Morgan Design Company."

Logan stood up, walking into the front room so he could call Finn. When Finn wasn't there, he left a message. He walked back into the kitchen when he heard voices and a thud. Josh and Charlotte were back, and she dropped her soccer bag in the middle of the laundry room floor.

"Mom, what's for dinner. Dad wouldn't stop at …"

Charlotte stopped at the doorway of the laundry room when she saw her uncle standing at the kitchen table beside her mother.

"Uncle Logan," Charlotte said, running over to him, throwing her arms around his waist.

"Are you staying at our house? Please say you are…. Please, please, please? I could use your help in Soccer…."

"Hey, Charlie," Logan said, hugging his niece. "No, I am only here to talk to your mom and dad. But I am staying here in Hartford, and I won't be going back to London."

"Yay, you're not going back to London." the twins cried as they came bounding down the stairs. "Will you come to our games, Uncle Logan?" Jake asked his uncle.

"Of course, if I am free. I will have your mom give me your schedules," he told them. Jer jumped up and gave him a high five.

"You're the best," Jer told him, and Logan laughed.

"Logan, have you eaten: Why don't you have dinner with us," Honor said as she dished out the beef stroganoff.

"Okay, Finn isn't around anyway, and I haven't had much to eat all day."

Honor placed three plates of the dinner on the table for Charlotte, Josh, and Logan. She then made the boys a snack of peanut butter and apple pieces. The boys took their snacks back into the family room and turned on the TV.

"Charlie, if you want to go and eat with the other room with your brother, you can. I think Spy Kids is on now," Honor told her daughter.

"Thanks, Mom." Charlotte left with her plate and walked into the family room, taking the control away from Jared and turning on Spy Kids for them to watch. Once Charlie was gone, she poured Josh and herself another a drink. Logan shook his head when she offered him one.

"Logan met with Grandpa Elias tonight," Honor told Josh. Josh raised his eyebrow at Logan, and Honor continued. "He wants Logan to take over the Publisher position here in Hartford."

Josh paused from eating his dinner, "What about your dad Logan?"

"Gramps called Dad and told him to get on the next plane home. He is talking to Dad tomorrow when he comes in. Gramps also called Uncle Alex and told him to fly out here immediately from California. Josh, I wanted you to know that this is happening. Since you are the Financial Assistance for Purchases, I am hoping we can sit down and go over the company's finances before I go to the meeting."

"Sure, Logan, but you are going to want to talk to the Financial Manager, which would be Matt Reid."

"Is he based here in the city?"

"No, he is in the central office in New York, he and Mitchum are very close."

"I figured that." Logan didn't say anything and kept on eating.

"Do you have any idea what's going on and why he would call Uncle Alec?" Honor asked Logan; she sat down beside her husband. Jared walked into the kitchen with his plate and climbed upon his father's lap.

"The only comment he made was that he missed Alec," Logan replied. Logan looked over at Jer and didn't say anything more.

"Who's Uncle Alec?" Jer asked his parents and uncle. Logan smiled and shook his head.

"Hey, Jer, did you have a good day in school?" Josh asked his son.

"Yea, it was boring. Uncle Logan, are you ready to read us a story?"

"I am, let's get your brother, and I will go upstairs with you both."

"Okay." Jared ran back into the family room as Logan stood up.

"All I can say, Logan, is that somethings been going on. This will be an interesting family gathering," Josh stated.

"Uncle Logan, we're ready," Jared said, running back in the kitchen with his brother behind him.

"Okay, boys, I will read you a story, then I have to leave to go back to see your grandmother."

"Aaaaw. Can't you stay?" Jared asked.

"No, Bud, but I'll be back, I promise," Logan said as he ruffled Jared's hair.

"Honor, before I leave, when is that lunch meeting for the hospital fundraiser?" Logan asked his sister.

"It's some time next week, but don't worry about it. You have enough to deal with. I can take care of the committees and mom."

"So do you, I told you that I'm here to help. See if you can make it for lunchtime or late afternoon, and I will be there." Logan went and hugged his sister, and she smiled. "Thanks Logan."

"Honor, you and Josh have been there to support me through the years. Now that I am back, I am here to help you. Okay boys, are you ready to hear a story about the adventures of Commander and his crew when they sunk the vessel off of Fiji?"

"I am, I am…" the boys jumped up and ran to the stairs with Logan following behind.

"Keep it clean, Logan." Honor yelled after him. Logan turned and winked at her as he climbed up the stairs to the boys' bedrooms.

The waitress returned to box up their pizza and asked them if they would like anything else. Rory and Lorelai each order coffee and dessert, while the guys drank a second bottle of wine.

"Mom, Tristan, and I picked up a list of apartments from the real estate agent on our way here."

Rory reached down into her purse and pulled out the folder that she received from Al. "I'm not sure where I should live, but I thought I would look downtown, close to Aslyum St. and also in West Hartford." Rory then handed out the papers that she received from Al.

"Rory, why did you choose that part of the city?" Luke asked.

Tristan placed the papers he was looking at on the table. "Luke, Lorelai," he said, addressing them both. "In that part of Hartford, the buildings are newer, and they include twenty-four-hour security and concierge service. Rory would not need to worry about her safety or transportation to or from the train station or airport. They also include many extra amenities that offer a sense of community. Many of the buildings have shared spaces, for libraries, conference rooms, restaurants, along with rooftop gardens, health spa, and gym facilities."

Lorelai looked at Rory and smiled. "Rory, when was the last time you used a gym?"

"Mmmm, I guess in February or March when I lived in London. The place I stayed in London was four city blocks from the Tube so I would walk. But since I have been home, the only exercise I have had is the PT after my operation. "

"So, where do you live, Tristan?" Lorelai asked Tristan.

"About four years ago, I inherited my grandfather's home, but, as a single surgeon, it was too much house for me. So I sold it and moved into one of the older buildings." Tristan explained.

"What do you mean?"

"As you might remember, my grandparents owned three and a half acres known as Eyrie Knoll on Prospect Ave. The house had over six bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a gorgeous pool, multiple slate patios, and rose gardens that my grandmother spent many hours in. I went to Military school and learned to live a simpler life. I knew I didn't want to stay in that huge home, so I sold it. I chose to live downtown, where I own an apartment with natural brick and two floors that has been completely renovated. It is simpler to maintain, and since I am not there many nights, I know it is secure."

"It makes sense, Rory was brought up in a smaller home too," Lorelai said. Luke and Lorelai looked through the papers. "Sweets, are there any apartments that interest you?"

"A few, but I am not sure exactly what I want. Tristan thought I might like living in the same building as Paris."

"I suggested that she move in with Paris or at least move into the same building. I know I would feel better if she was in a building where she knew someone," Tristan said, looking at her.

"You know, Rory, that's not a bad idea," Lorelai agreed.

Rory looked at Tristan and shook her head. "We lived together at Yale, and she drove me nuts. Tristan, you of all people know what a germaphobe, Paris has become. If I sneeze, she will put me and my belongings out in the hallway."

"Yea, you are right, the apartment is very sterile. I've wondered how her boyfriend can go and stay with her on weekends, "Tristan laughed.

"Paris has a boyfriend?" Lorelai asked in surprise. "Didn't she marry that Doyle guy from Yale?"

"No, her marriage broke up while she was in med school. She's been dating Jess," Rory told Luke and Lorelai.

"Jess?" Lorelai asked.

"Yes, Jess Mariano," Tristan started looking at Rory.

"Paris and Jess. Our Jess?" Lorelai said in surprise. "Luke, did you know that they were together?"

"No, that's a strange match. I didn't know Paris and Jess knew each other," Luke added as he sipped his wine.

"They have been dating for a while, and we went on a double date with them," Rory added. "Jess is good for Paris. He is the first guy that can control her craziness, and it's fun to watch." Lorelai looked at Rory and shook her head, trying to picture Paris and Jess together.

"I think both your mother and I would feel better if you were in a building with security," Luke said as he looked at the townhouse that was listed. "Your mom was a nervous wreck when you lived in that walk-up in the city. You don't know how many times I had to stop her from buying you pepper spray and a rape whistle."

"Luke, you were worried too. When you found out she was living in the Bronx, you called Christopher, and the two of you hired a building inspector to check on the building. Then you called Jess and told him that he needed to check that area of the Bronx to make sure it was safe. Jess then called a friend who lived in that neighborhood."

"What friend?" Rory asked her, shocked.

"Oh, his friend Andrew," Lorelai said, looking through the papers in front of her.

"You mean 'Handy Andy'? The super? EWW, mom, he was always hitting on me. I never felt safe around him. Wait until I talk to Jess."

Tristan started laughing. "Handy Andy? Tell me I don't need my imagination to figure out why you named him that."

Rory bit her lip and smirked at Tristan.

"We knew that you lived in motels and hotels for a year with the press corps, but I was worried about you," her mother said in their defense. "Since you and Tristan aren't going to live together, can't you find a roommate here in the city?"

Rory rolled her eyes at her mother. "I'll be fine. We can go and look at the Towers where Paris lives, but Mom, I do like these Townhouses on Charter." Rory passed the papers she had to Luke and Lorelai. Luke looked at the information on the Towers.

"Well, sweets," Lorelai continued as she opened her calendar on her phone. "I am available on Thursday. Why don't you call me after you set up the appointment? We can check out the buildings with security, but I am interested in the townhouse on Charter Place. It sounds so familiar."

"Perfect, I will call tomorrow and see what time they are available."

Tristan picked up the bill and put his card in the case calling the waitress over.

"No, we invited you to dinner," Lorelai said, trying to take the bill from him.

"No, I've got it." Tristan handed the bill to the waitress. "You can pay the tip."

Rory smiled at her parents. Luke began to grumble, and Rory put her hand on his. "Luke, it's okay; you can get the next one." He winked at her and put the tip on the table for the waitress. Rory handed her mother the takeout containers then gave them each a hug as they stood up. Luke and Tristan shook hands, and Lorelai hugged Tristan. "I'm watching you. Take care of my little girl."

"Tristan smiled, "I will." He then gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Lorelai grinned and turned to Luke she put her arm around his and leaning into his shoulder, she said, "I am warming up a little to him."

"Good," Luke said, opening the door as they left the restaurant. "I like him."


End file.
